


Burdened Be Thy Heart of Gold

by Subl1m1nal



Series: Thicker Than Water [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:01:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 47,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27266152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Subl1m1nal/pseuds/Subl1m1nal
Summary: They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend- but that was a lie.They were supposed to be friends, no, family.But not is all as it seems.Gilded blood runs heavy.
Series: Thicker Than Water [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1990858
Comments: 137
Kudos: 267





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to A Requiem For Home!! It's six chapters long, and if you haven't read it I suggest you read it first!! You don't have to, I guess. I can't make you, but I'd appreciate it and it'd make more sense!! Anyway, thank you for clicking on this. Ily, have fun reading!!

Tommy groaned in confusion as he spun around for the tenth time. He was looking for his family, but instead, all he got were strange stares. He almost blew up on this one kid, who asked their mother if 'that kid over there is lost,' but then he thought 'what would Philza say,' and decided to spare them. The issue at hand, however, was quite ironic. He was indeed quite lost and could no longer remember what Philza had said; about meeting up, that is. 

Philza had proposed a fun idea for their last day in this lame town. The four of them had been jumping from town to town over the past two weeks since The Split. Tommy wanted to call the issue The War, but Philza pointed out that there wasn't any fighting. So, sadly, they had to settle with The Split because giving difficult situations nicknames would help them deal with the outcome of the topic if it got brought up. 

Philza's idea had been a contest; whoever could steal the most supplies in an hour would be exempt from chores for a week. That being cooking, creating fires and campsites if needed, clean up, and so many more delightful tasks. Tommy had to win, and he was going to, but there was a minor issue afoot. Where did Philza say to meet? He really shouldn't have run off before he knew all the details, but he wanted a head start, and he didn't look back to see where the others went. His best bet was to backtrack, but he didn't bother to take in his surroundings as he passed the same, bland stores. 

He should've seen someone by now; this town wasn't that big. Alas, there was not a recognizable soul in these strangely crowded streets. It was time to follow his heart; that was probably some of the cheesy shit Tubbo would say, so it was probably right. His bad luck seemed to disappear, however, as he spotted a familiar brunet up ahead of him. He hurried forward, struggling to hold his stolen bag-of-goods as he reached out. 

"Techno, hold on!" Tommy demanded, grabbing the boy's shoulder. Techno quickly whipped around, shrugging his shoulder free as he looked at Tommy with wide, surprised eyes. Tommy laughed at his expression, grinning. "You look like you've seen a ghost, big man. Where are your supplies?"

"Supplies?" Techno asked, tilting his head as he looked around. 

"You forgot?" Tommy laughed in disbelief at his confusion. "It's only been an hour; how distracted did you get? Philza's going to be upset." Tommy grabbed Techno's wrist and pulled him along. 

"Where're we going?" Techno muttered, stumbling forward as Tommy began off in a random direction. 

"Oh, right. Do you know where Philza said to meet?" Tommy looked back at Techno, who glanced around, distracted. "You okay, big man?" Techno looked back to him and nodded dumbly, but Tommy no longer trusted his agreement. "Okay, let's get back to Philza. Do you know where to go?"

"No clue. Hey, uh-," Techno paused, blinking as he stared at Tommy, who looked back curiously. "Don't you think I should go get supplies? So I don't make Philla upset?" 

"Philla?" Techno blinked. "You mean Philza?"

"That's what I said," Techno pointed out, though his tone made the statement more of a question. Tommy grinned and nodded.

"Sure, you did. And anyway, no way. We all got an hour, and I wanna see you get yelled at."

"Thanks," Techno said blankly. The two continued in silence for a few more minutes, Techno twisting his wrist nervously in Tommy's grip, but the teen wouldn't release him. Tommy broke the silence with a loud groan.

"Where is he?" he whined, looking around. 

"Where's who?" A voice commented from behind him, and Tommy and Techno quickly turned around, coming face to face with Wilbur. 

"Wilbur!" Tommy cheered, hurrying forward with Techno in hand. "Where's Philza?"

"Over here," a voice called, and Tommy turned his head to look down an alleyway. There stood Philza, waving them down as he slung the bag from around his shoulder. "I told you to meet me in the alleyway beside the bakery."

"And, I completely ignored you," Tommy explained with a shrug, rushing over with his bag. "Yell at him," he demanded, pointing to a startled Techno.

"Why?" Wilbur asked, stepping behind them. Tommy only then noticed the large suitcase, presumably filled with supplies. 

"What the hell!" he cried out, looking at Philza with a shocked expression. "Whose is that?"

"Wilbur's," Philza said with a small laugh. 

"You play smart, Tommy, not hard," Wilbur chirped, ruffling the blond's hair as he passed him to stand by Philza. 

"Damn it!" Tommy whined, throwing his bag at Wilbur, who caught it with a curious look. 

"Oh, you wanna go, kid?"

"I'm no kid. Techno will defend me," Tommy declared, looking at the brunet, whose arm had gone limp in his hand. "Right?"

"Will you, Techno?" Wilbur asked, and Techno blinked. 

"No," Tommy choked in surprise. 

"Why not?" Tommy demanded, and Techno shrugged, avoiding his gaze. 

"You wanted me to get yelled at," he defended, pulling his hand free. "That was easier than I thought," he muttered.

"Oh, right, what was that about?" Philza asked curiously.

"Techno didn't get any supplies." Tommy looked to Techno with a grin, and Techno sighed, shoulders sagging. 

"I forgot," Techno shrugged, and Philza nodded.

"It had only been an hour- ah well. That's okay," Philza hummed, smiling warmly. Tommy threw his hands up. 

"Yell at him!" he demanded, and Philza rolled his eyes, stepping forward.

"Tommy, if Techno won this, we'd lose our hardest worker." Philza looked back at Wilbur, a small smirk on his lips. "Instead, we lost our weakest link."

"Fuck you, too," Wilbur quipped, and after a small pause, the two broke out into laughter.

"This isn't fair," Tommy complained, and Techno grinned down at him.

"Shut up, Tommy," Techno hummed, and Wilbur nodded, looking at Techno curiously. 

"I agree. Shut up, Tommy." Wilbur turned to Techno and approached him with a confused stare. "I didn't even know you could smile that big."

"Surprise, surprise, I have basic humanly functions."

"It's weird," Tommy commented. 

"Creepy," Wilbur agreed. The two shared a grin as Philza whacked them on the head.

"Well, good job supporting him for trying new things, now he'll never want to smile again. Apologize." Techno shook his head. 

"It's alright, Phil."

"I don't think this is alright, at all," a voice commented from behind the four. Their heads snapped in the direction of the noise, and Techno faltered. 

"This seems to be my time to go," Techno muttered. Tommy looked between the person at the end of the alleyway, slowly advancing, and Techno, surprise evident on his face. 

"What the hell?" Wilbur muttered behind him.

"There's two of you?" Tommy asked, looking at Techno, who shifted under his gaze. "Do you have a twin?"

"No," the Techno that approached them answered, a bag of potatoes slung over his shoulder. "We've got an imposter."

"Which is the real one?" Philza inquired, and Wilbur weakly shrugged as Techno set the potatoes aside and cracked his knuckles. 

"You can't tell?" Techno asked, unamused as he stared into the eyes of his mirror. Wilbur waved him off, shaking his head.

" Of course we can tell. I told you Techno doesn't smile," Wilbur added, leaning against the wall as Techno pushed the fake against the wall. The imposter didn't put up much resistance aside from squirming beneath his grip. 

"So," Techno began, staring down at himself, who shrunk under his hand. "Care to explain? Or do I need to get answers the hard way?" 

"You're always so violent," Philza sighed. "It's a bad influence on Tommy."

"Kill him!" Tommy cheered, and Philza shook his head with a small, hidden smile. 

"Don't do that," Philza added quickly.

"Are you not concerned with this at all?" Techno asked, peeking back at his team. The three shrugged. "You're all useless."

"You seem to have it handled, though having two Technos staring at us is unnerving," Wilbur explained, and Techno rolled his eyes, turning back to the person he had pressed against the wall and narrowing his eyes. 

"Start talking." 

"Is Techno your real name? Who names their kid Techno-?"

"I don't think you're in the position to ask questions," Wilbur warned from behind Techno.

"It's actually Technoblade," Tommy chirped, laughing nervously as Techno glared at him. 

"That's worse," the copycat muttered. Techno raised a fist threateningly, and the boy quickly flinched away. 

"Talk."

The Techno beneath him stared back with wide eyes, which quickly became teary, and Techno frowned. "Don't," he demanded, but it was too late. His copycat began crying. "Stop doing that in my body; it's weird."

"Very," Tommy muttered, frowning. 

"Sorry," the other Techno apologized, wiping his eyes but not moving to push Techno off. "Who else should I be?" he sniffed, looking at the group. 

"Do Wilbur," Tommy called, and Wilbur quickly shook his head. "The brunet over there."

"I know who Wilbur is."

"How?" Tommy gaped, surprise evident on his face. "Were you stalking us?"

"No," 'Techno' replied. "I've spent the last few minutes with you; I've picked up on names by now. So, cry as Wilbur?" 

"No, he's not crying in my body. I don't consent," Wilbur demanded, and Techno sighed. 

"Why doesn't he do you, Tommy?" Philza offered, and Wilbur shook his head. 

"No, don't do any one of us. It would be weird to threaten one of us," Wilbur commented, looking over to Techno. "Right? Well, Tommy may be the best choice actually."

"Why me?" Tommy asked, and Wilbur grinned.

"You have a punchable face," Wilbur admitted, and Philza nodded in agreement.

"Phil!" Tommy gasped in shock, and the two laughed once more. Techno rolled his eyes and looked back at the boy in his skin. 

"Stop paying attention to them and fucking change before I make you," he demanded, shoving him harder against the brick. 

"Ow," the boy whined, nodding. "Okay, okay." Techno watched with mild curiosity as the blue eyes that stared back at him faded to a warm brown. The peachy skin became more tanned, and he could have sworn the boy beneath him shrunk slightly in height. His dark brown hair swooped more at an upward angle, and a light blue hoodie, with a matching blue beanie and black jeans, replaced the copied outfit he wore. Like an illusion, his disguise had faded, and there left was a frightened teen, staring up worriedly at Techno. "I can explain," he quickly offered. Techno could only nod; the group was stunned into silence.

"My name is Skeppy," Techno noticed he was on his tiptoes and let him loose slightly to stand on his feet. "I was with my friend, Bad, about two weeks ago," he looked over at the alleyway exit nervously. "We were hanging out in the park when these guys in suits showed up. I knew something was off when they started approaching us, so I told Bad that we had to go. He agreed, and we ran away. We traveled for about a week together, trying to decide when it was safe enough to go back, but eventually, we got split up somewhere in the woods," a sad expression quickly replaced his nervous one. 

"I- I didn't know what to do. I just ran to the nearest village, and I've been here for a week, hiding with disguises and looking for Bad where I can. I don't think he's coming, though," he whispered. "I don't think he made it out of the woods, but I couldn't- I couldn't find him." Skeppy looked like he was going to cry again, and Techno glanced over to Philza, who was staring at Skeppy with sympathetic eyes. Techno had a feeling he knew Philza's intentions and quickly looked back to Skeppy.

"Fine, yeah," Techno huffed, stepping back and letting Skeppy go. "Go on," Techno grunted, "get out of here."

"You're not upset?" Skeppy asked nervously, wiping his eyes as he stood there, and Techno just stared at him. "You believe me about the guys in suits-?"

"Yeah, you're free. So go."

"You weren't very surprised when I shifted."

"My shock wore out when I saw someone who looked exactly like me. Now, are you going to go or-?"

"Skeppy," Tommy called, hurrying forward. Techno groaned in defeat as Tommy barged in front of him. "I lost my friend to those stupid lab people recently, too. I know how you feel, those bastards, right?" Skeppy stared at Tommy with wide eyes. 

"Really? Lost him? Like..."

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, and Skeppy looked at him sadly. "He joined their side." 

"Oh." Skeppy looked to Philza with a confused look as the man took a step forward.

"We were in a similar predicament," Philza explained with a kind smile, and Techno stepped back from Skeppy, leaning on the wall next to Wilbur. "We got taken by the guys in suits to a lab. Us and another group- our friends- had managed to break out, though. A lot of stuff happened, but eventually, we split up. They wanted to go back to the lab, try and justify themselves or something. We wanted to leave, though. So that's why we're on the run now, sticking together, strength in numbers, you know?" 

"Yeah," Skeppy whispered, nodding. He glanced at Techno, who stared back with dull eyes. "I should go."

"Nah," Wilbur waved his hand. "Philza just invited you to stay, and you can't say no to Philza."

"He what?" Skeppy asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Sticking together, power in numbers. That was the invitation, and you said yeah," Techno sighed; this is the only fight he didn't dare to fight. Skeppy looked to Philza with wide eyes, who nodded in agreement. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah," Philza laughed. "You don't have to come with us, but we're good company, aside from Techno."

"What?" Techno asked, glaring at Philza. "I'm a delight."

"Your first meeting with him was a threat," Tommy pointed out, grinning. 

"Yeah, violence was the only reasonable reaction to the situation," Techno explained, pushing off the wall and approaching the smaller boy. "Philza invited you; are you staying?" he asked, examining the boy.

"I-, this is a threat," Skeppy pointed out, looking to Tommy. Tommy shrugged.

"No, that's just Techno. You'll get used to him."

"You're avoiding the question," Techno pointed out, and Skeppy avoided his gaze, stepping back against the wall. "Why?"

"I- I wouldn't mind it, going with you guys. But I don't know you, and what if Bad shows up and I'm not here? I-."

"How about this," Wilbur offered, stepping forward. "You can travel with us until we reach another town, see if you like it, and wanna stick around, and at the next place, we can look for your friend. After all, if you only look in one place, you'll never find him," Wilbur offered. He looked over to Techno, who he could tell was still skeptical. "And if you still don't like the situation by then, if you deem him dangerous or something, then we'll send him off, okay? Deal?"

He looked between the two boys, and Techno hesitantly nodded. "Yeah, deal." Skeppy stared at Techno, who looked back at him as he moved to pick up his potatoes. 

"Okay," Skeppy hesitantly agreed. "Thanks for having me- ow!" he looked at Tommy, who had just slapped him. Tommy grinned at him. "Is this the greeting?"

"How do you use your power?"

"What?"

"It's his thing," Philza explained as he narrowed his eyes on Techno. "He can copy powers; it's easier to teach him than to have him continue asking. He gets annoying."

"No, I don't," Tommy huffed, looking back at Skeppy, who had now shifted to mimic Tommy. "Whoa! That's so fucking weird!"

Wilbur frowned. "We don't need two Tommys. This is a nightmare; you're uninvited."

"How old are you?" Tommy asked excitedly, ignoring Wilbur, and 'Tommy' grinned back.

"Seventeen. You?"

"Fifteen."

"Fourteen," Philza corrected. "Techno." The boy in question looked back at the blonde.

"Philza?"

"Did you only get potatoes?" Philza asked with a tired groan as Techno's blank face split into a small smile. 

"They're tasty."

"That's too much," Philza scolded. "I thought we talked about this the other day."

"This happens a lot?" Skeppy asked, back in his usual body, and Tommy nodded.

"Welcome to our family, Skeppy. Let's see how long you last," Tommy grinned. 

.

"I swear," George pleaded, running up to Sapnap's side. 

"What? You seeing ghosts again, George?" Sapnap teased, grabbing the stick from the dog's mouth as they walked, before tossing it off in the distance. "Go get it," he encouraged, and the three dogs were off. 

"How do you even know they get the right stick?" Dream asked, glancing at Tubbo, who stopped every few seconds to pick a flower. 

"I trust them, Dream. Ever learn about trust?" Sapnap asked, and Dream rolled his eyes.

"I ate a single chip, Sapnap, get over it," Dream complained. George tuned the two out, choosing instead to focus on the reappearing figure in the corner of his eyes. The issue was, every time he saw it, it was gone. "George, stop contemplating your sanity and tell Sapnap to shut up."

"Shut up, Sapnap," George said, looking to Sapnap, who scoffed in distaste. 

"Tubbo, tell Dream to not be a bitch."

"Dream, don't be a bitch," Tubbo recited, smiling as he looked up at the grinning boy. George could've sworn he heard a small noise of protest, but he brushed it off. Sapnap glanced back at him as his dogs rushed over.

"George, we've already had Buddy, Friend, and Pal sniff around. No one is following us," he assured, and George nodded, rubbing his eyes. 

"Maybe I'm just tired. Can we take a break?"

"Sure," Dream agreed, slinging his backpack around and unzipping it. "It's about lunchtime anyway. Sapnap?"

"I want a sandwich and apple juice."

"Tubbo?" Dream asked, handing the food to the boy, who collapsed on the ground. 

"Uh, just chips for now," Tubbo requested, setting the almost finished flower crown aside. 

"Sure, George?"

"I'll take a blueberry muffin," he muttered, a chill going up his spine. He caught the package tossed at him and opened it up but found himself too unsettled to eat. He set the muffin aside and looked over to Dream, who was chatting with Tubbo and Sapnap. He was honestly just paranoid; there was nothing wrong. He hadn't been getting enough sleep or food. He should probably eat. 

He reached over to grab his muffin once more, but his hand hit something cold. He hesitantly looked down before screaming. "There's a fucking hand!" he pointed out, standing up and scrambling back behind Dream and Sapnap, who had shot up in alarm.

"George, there's nothing there," Sapnap pointed out, and that was the issue, wasn't it. 

"My muffin is gone," he whispered. Dream on alert, glancing around. 

"You didn't eat it?" Dream asked, and George shook his head. 

"In that little amount of time? No. There was a hand. I touched a hand, Dream. A pitch-black hand took my muffin." He shrieked again as something poked his back.

"I'm sorry, do you want it back?" In a second, George was behind Dream once more, and the muffin was seated neatly on the ground, a small bite taken out of it. 

"What the fuck?" Sapnap hissed, looking around the area in shocked confusion. "See anything?" he asked the dogs, who sniffed the air for a moment, before barking a denial.

"Hello?" Dream called out, stepping back from the muffin. "You can have a muffin. We have more."

"You're negotiating with a ghost," Sapnap hissed. 

"No," Tubbo corrected from where he sat calmly on the ground. "Ghosts don't need to eat- I don't even know if they can."

"You can have it," Dream continued. "But can you come out, it's not very nice to tag along without permission."

"You think it cares?" George asked, and Dream nodded. 

"I'm back here," the voice replied, and the four spun around. 

"Why're you always behind me?" George whined, stepping back once more. 

"I'm really sorry for scaring you," the shadow explained, fiddling with his hands. "I just thought you guys might know where you're going, and I got lost a while ago."

"How long have you been following us?" Dream asked, a hand lightly holding Tubbo's, who rose to stand beside Dream. 

"About a week," the shadow responded, waving at Tubbo, who grinned at him and waved back. Dream looked down at the boy with a frown, eyes filled with unspoken questions.

"Tubbo," Dream hummed. "Want to tell us something?"

"Oh," Tubbo realized, gazing at the four. "Sure, I made a friend around a week ago."

"What's his name?" Sapnap asked.

"Bad. We met one night when I couldn't sleep, and I offered him some food. I also offered that he could tag along," Tubbo explained, gesturing to the shadow.

"Why?" George asked, tilting his head in confusion as Tubbo grabbed the muffin and handed it to Bad.

"I lost my friend," Bad explained. "I was hoping you guys would head to a town, and I'd be able to find him there. We were running from these guys with suits; Skeppy said they were bad guys." 

"Then we're probably not the party you want to stick with," Sapnap explained, and Bad's shadowy form faded into one of color. His wide blue eyes watched Sapnap as he bit into the muffin.

"Why?"

"We're heading to a lab full of those guys," Dream explained. "You've been following us a week?"

"Yeah," Bad chirped, brushing his brown hair out of his face. 

"And you haven't stolen or harmed us at all?" George asked, and Bad looked at the muffin.

"Oh, goodness, no. Only food. Sorry," Bad apologized, and Dream looked to Tubbo.

"You trust him?"

"Yeah," Tubbo nodded. "He's my friend," Tubbo muttered, smiling at Bad, who smiled back. Dream sighed, feeling his stomach churn with guilt. Tubbo's been quiet lately. He weakly nodded. 

"We're gonna get to the lab soon," he muttered. "If you're coming along, you've got to stop hiding."

"Okay," Bad nodded, but he paused. "But I've gotta look for Skeppy."

"Well, after we go to the lab, we'll probably stop by a town. If uh- Skeppy's not at the lab, we can check there next, deal?" Tubbo offered, and Bad lit up. 

"Really?"

"Yeah, I agree. Really?" George asked, and Dream just glanced at him with a shrug. 

"He's Tubbo's friend," Dream emphasized, and George seemed to get the message. He glanced over at the boy, who stared back with pleading brown eyes. 

"Fine, I see your point," he muttered.

"So, you tagging along, Bad?"

"Alright!" Bad chirped, hurrying forward and wrapping Dream in a hug. "Thank you." Dream laughed, looking to Tubbo, who grinned up at him. 

"No problem," he hummed as Bad pulled himself off. "Why don't you tell us about yourself as we walk?"

"Oh, sure! What do you wanna know?" he asked as the group moved to pick up their food and continue walking. Dream offered both Bad and George another muffin.

"Is your name actually Bad?" Sapnap asked, and Bad tapped his chin.

"It's more of a nickname. Bad Boy Halo," Bad explained, and Tubbo tapped his chin.

"BBH," Tubbo hummed. "It sounds more manly," Tubbo recited Tommy, and Dream nodded gently.

"BBH and Bad is cool," he agreed. "It's like a codename and a nickname."

"I like it," Bad grinned. 

"So, what's your power?" George asked, and Bad blinked. 

"Oh, I can turn into a shadow! I was blending into yours earlier, uh George?"

"Oh, yeah," George nodded. "I'm George."

"Sapnap," Sapnap waved. "Buddy, Pal, and Friend," he pointed at each of the dogs, who barked a greeting.

"Dream," Dream nodded in acknowledgment. Bad waved at all of them.

"It's very nice to meet you all. Like I was saying, I was blending into yours, George, that's why I was always behind you."

"Ah," George nodded, the group fell into a comfortable silence. 

"I'd always want to be behind you too, George," Sapnap interrupted. George snapped his head, glaring at Sapnap, who wheezed at the expression.

"What?" Dream managed to ask between shocked laughs. "Sapnap."

Bad looked to Tubbo, who shrugged. "They're kinda weird," Tubbo pointed out, and Bad nodded with a small smile.

"Weird is nice."

.

A day had passed, and Bad had begun to fit in nicely in the group. 

"Fuck!" Sapnap shouted, and Bad covered his ears in protest.

"No!" he yelled back, shaking his head.

"Damn you, fucking ass!" Dream screeched on his left.

"Language!" Bad looked to Tubbo, who grinned widely.

"Fuck!" he chanted. Sapnap quickly caught on and joined in.

"George, tell them to stop," Bad pleaded, and George smiled innocently and shrugged. "Come on, Ge-." He was cut off by George screaming, and the second he closed his mouth, George did too. "George!-" And the process repeated. 

"Stop it-!" Another scream.

"Stop what?" George asked as Bad closed his mouth.

"Stop scre- stop it! Skeppy!" The laughter from his surrounding friends and George's shouts ceased.

"Skeppy?" George inquired, tilting his head curiously. Bad blinked before laughing awkwardly at the mistake.

"That got you to stop?" Bad asked, and Dream shrugged.

"You've mentioned him, Skeppy. He's-."

"My best friend, the one I got separated from. He's loud like you guys," Bad explained, smiling. "I guess it's the kind of friends I attract."

"You should attract better types of friends; the loud ones are annoying," George pointed out, and Bad narrowed his eyes. 

"You're one of- stop screaming!" Bad demanded, a grin spreading on his face. 

"George!" Dream shouted. "Shut the fuck up!" 

"No!" Bad cried, and the cycle began again. It only really died down around ten minutes later, when Dream was shushing everybody. The laughter died down to a silent smile, and the five walked wordlessly as they approached the tree line. Just beyond the woods was a familiar building. 

"Is that it?" Bad whispered to Tubbo, who nodded. "Well, if you guys want to leave a good impression, why are we sneaking? We look suspicious," Bad pointed out. Sapnap looked at Dream before shrugging and standing up.

"Yolo," he hummed, and George groaned loudly.

"Don't say that again-."

"Yolo," Sapnap repeated, and George watched with a glare as Sapnap began towards the building. "Y'all coming?"

"Sure," Bad chirped, hurrying to Sapnap's side. Tubbo was quick to follow after him, and with the inspiration of their three friends, George and Dream joined them. 

Dream stared at the door to the lab, watching as Sapnap reached for the doorknob.

"That won't work; it's probably locked-." The door opened with a small click. "That's suspicious," George pointed out. 

"Sure," Dream agreed as the five walked in, looking around at the familiar walls. Familiar to everyone but Bad, that is. "No one's here," he pointed out in disbelief, looking down the dark hallway. Multiple doors to different rooms were still thrown open. 

"It's kinda creepy," Tubbo pointed out, and Bad nodded. "What happened to the lab? It's only been a week or two."

"Well," a voice chimed in. The five's heads snapped towards the new figure, leaning on a wall at the end of the hallway. "We had a breakout."

"Ah," Tubbo nodded. "Oh yeah, we caused that, Dream. Remember?"

"Yeah," Dream muttered. "I don't think now's a good time to recollect, Tubbo." Dream walked forward some, approaching the man. He had a white lab coat on top of a grey shirt, and curly brown hair fell in front of his sunglass-covered eyes. "Hello, I'm Dream, me and my friends use to be- uh- subjects here."

"Nice to meet you," the boy greeted. "I'm Eret. What brings you boys back to my lab?"

"Your lab?" Sapnap asked, tilting his head in confusion. The dogs at the base of his feet mimicked the head movement.

"Yep. Well, at least now it is. After everyone jumped ship and abandoned the project, I was one of the only ones to stay behind, so I guess it's mine now. Until the government decides to repurpose it or destroy it, at least."

"Everyone abandoned the lab?" George inquired, and Eret nodded, turning around and waving the others to follow as he began down the hall. 

"Yeah, as it turns out, losing practically every subject can cause mass panic and a decrease in morale. People lost hope of recollecting everyone, and the funds decidedly were put to a new project," Eret explained as he turned a hall.

"Okay," Dream nodded. "I'm following along so far, but why were we here in the first place?" Eret paused and turned back to look at the group. 

"You know, that was one of the rules I didn't care for here," he hummed, "we weren't allowed to tell you anything, and for a while, we were just supposed to observe. You came here because you all have abilities."

"Yeah, no shit," Sapnap laughed, and Bad glared at him. 

"Let me finish," Eret interjected with a smirk. "We discovered you all had originated from a supposedly eradicated village. We had orders to retrieve you for both protection, lessons, and psyche evaluation."

"But we were safe in our own homes," Tubbo offered, and Eret hesitated before nodding.

"Yes, you were, but we couldn't be sure others were. You see, the village-," Eret paused at the patter of footsteps growing louder.

"I thought you said you were the only one who stayed," Bad muttered, and Eret shook his head as two new figures rounded a corner.

"Nah," he hummed with a small smile, "I said that I'm one of the only ones. One subject stayed, and one other scientist stayed."

"You found them!" the ginger boy in a white lab coat cheered as he rushed forward. "Are they just hikers who got lost, or-?"

"This is Fundy," Eret introduced, and the boy skidded to a stop in front of the five. 

"Hello," he greeted. "I'm Eret's right-hand man, the second head scientist. I technically almost own the lab."

"And that's Niki," Eret gestured to the girl who hurried down the hallway.

"Oh, hello!" the girl chirped, a warm smile on her face. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you two," Dream held out his hand, shaking both of their's. "I'm Dream," he looked back at his group expectantly.

"I'm George," the brunet waved at the two. 

"What's up? I'm Sapnap."

"'Ello," Tubbo nodded his greeting, "I'm Tubbo."

"Oh, I'm Bad, or BBH."

The five stood in silence, staring awkwardly at the three. At some point, someone coughed. Niki blinked and looked around before pausing and staring at Sapnap.

"You have dogs!" she pointed out excitedly. Sapnap grinned and nodded, patting their heads.

"Hell yeah," the dogs barked in acknowledgment, "Buddy, Pal, and Friend."

"That's so cute," she cooed, taking a step forward. "Can I pet them?" Sapnap paused for a minute, looking at the dogs expectantly.

"They said sure," he nodded, and she knelt down, cooing at them sweetly. 

"You talk to them?" Fundy asked. "Wait," he looked around the group. "How many of you have abilities?"

"All of us," Dream shrugged, and Fundy shouted in protest, stomping on the ground like a kid.

"No!" 

"What?" George asked as Eret pat Fundy's back.

"He's jealous," he explained, laughing as the ginger swatted at his hand. 

"Everyone has a power but me," he pouted, glaring at Niki as she giggled.

"It's ok, Fundy," Niki smiled. "You're really smart, especially for being so young! This lab wouldn't be running without you," Niki explained, and Fundy sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, thank you, Niki," Fundy smiled weakly, and Niki returned it. 

"I thought you said you were a scientist," Tubbo pointed out. "Do scientists have abilities too?"

"Only me," Eret explained, smiling warmly at Tubbo. "I was one of the first subjects and pretty compliant, so they took me on in the staff. I think it was out of pity, but I'll take it. I was more of an apprentice, to be honest, but with no one else here, I promoted myself to a scientist. Fundy was also working as an apprentice since he's eighteen like me, but he was in tech. I was in charge of watching Niki and later introduced Fundy to her." The three grinned at each other, and Tubbo looked to Dream, shaking his head.

"If only Techno had complied, he would've had a job and friends," he muttered, and Dream grinned.

"Techno? Compliant? Those are antonyms." 

"So, what brings you back here?" Fundy asked, surveying the group. "Here to rob us? Take out the final members?"

"No," Bad immediately shook his head, waving his hands quickly. 

"We wanted to prove we weren't a threat that needed to be locked up. There doesn't seem to be much of anyone to prove this to, though," Dream muttered. Eret laughed, the sound echoing down the empty hallways. 

"That's true," he nodded. "You're welcome to- uh- prove yourself to us if you want, though?"

"Oh?" Dream hummed in amusement, tilting his head. "And how do we do that?"

"Hm," Eret tapped his chin, looking at his coworkers with a cocked eyebrow. "What do you guys think?"

"Are you evil?" Niki asked from the floor, and the five shook their heads.

"Bad is," Sapnap pointed out, which received a loud denial. 

"Oh!" Fundy spoke excitedly, "devote your abilities to the lab."

"The lab? What lab?" Dream asked, and Fundy frowned.

"Low blow," he muttered. "We're still working, you know, just for a new goal." Dream and George shared a suspicious stare, and Eret shot Fundy a frown.

"What goal?" George asked, and Eret sighed, stepping forward once more.

"We want to create a sanctuary of sorts for people with powers. A home, if you will, but we also want to detain those using their abilities for bad," Eret explained. "It's not a set-in-motion plan though; after all, there's only three of us, and some of us need to maintain the lab."

"Hm," Dream tapped his chin. "That isn't as bad as I thought you'd say."

"Any ambitious hopes yourself?" Eret asked, and Dream looked to Tubbo.

"The book," Tubbo gasped. "Right?"

"Yeah," Dream nodded. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a book. "We're trying to decode this language."

"Oh!" Fundy hurried over to their side, admiring the book with poorly-hidden fascination. "Can I help? I've got the technology to decode this baby- it'll take a while, but we can do it."

"Really?" Dream asked with wide eyes. "Yeah, sure," he nodded. 

"But," Eret quickly interjected. "If you're going to be working on this project, you'll probably be staying here."

"Oh-," Tubbo muttered. 

"It's not a problem," Eret quickly explained. "But, if we're housing and feeding you, then we'll need your help around here." Eret trailed off, and Dream tapped his chin knowingly.

"I know where this is going," Dream hummed. "You want us to help you out with the project you mentioned earlier, tracking down the bad and detaining them, right?" Eret nodded, resting his hands behind his back.

"Yep," he agreed, popping the 'p.' "So, information, housing, and food for work; does that sound reasonable?"

"What do you think, Bad?" Dream asked, looking at the boy curiously.

"Huh, me?" Bad asked, pointing at himself in confusion. "Why're you asking me?"

"You're looking for Skeppy, right?"

"Well, yeah," he muttered. "But this is a really good offer."

"Yeah," Dream agreed. "But you're our friend; if you go, we go." Bad shifted at the confession, frowning in thought. 

"I-I think we should stay. Maybe they have some kind of technology to help find Skeppy?" he asked, looking up expectantly at Fundy, who shrugged.

"I'll see what I can do, and besides, with this job, you'll probably travel a lot. Maybe you'll find your friend while on a mission?" Fundy offered, and Bad lit up. 

"You're right!" he nodded. Bad looked to Dream with a determined smile. "We'll stay."

"You heard him," Dream hummed, holding a hand out to Eret. "You've got yourself a team." Eret took his hand, chuckling as he shook it firmly.

"Welcome to the lab, boys. I hope you enjoy your stay."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunions.

"A really, really chubby toddler," Wilbur ordered as he looked over to where Skeppy relaxed, sitting against a brick wall. 

"Gender?" Skeppy asked, cracking his neck with an amused grin, only visible thanks to the moonlight and dim street lights in the parking lot. Wilbur looked to Techno for an answer as the man bashed in the hood of a car. 

"Boy?" Techno offered, and Skeppy nodded, shifting as instructed. Tommy cheered from where he sat on the car's roof, looking over to Skeppy with a nod.

"We're downtown. You know there's not really any cameras here," Tommy pointed out. "You can take off your gas-mask." Techno looked at Tommy with a shrug, delivering another blow to the hood of the car. 

A lot had changed in the past year and a half, but to sum it up, Tommy, Philza, Skeppy, Wilbur, and Techno weren't exactly saints. They moved to the city a little over a year ago, as it not only had higher crime rates, but Techno's power benefited greatly from the amount of bustle around him.

Tommy enjoyed the city, and he grew to learn the land quickly. The five had gained a reputation in the crime industry, surprisingly. They often took delivery jobs from anyone willing to pay. It was usually drugs or some unknown weapons, but they didn't bother to look. Blissfully unaware, Philza claimed. 

Tommy liked the jobs most of the time, sometimes they were boring as hell, but he's learned a lot through missions. Such lessons include, but are not limited to, hijacking a car, driving a car, wrecking a car- Philza wasn't the most pleased. The blond later taught Tommy how to drive illegally but legitimately this time. 

Their life of crime did lead the way to Tommy's best idea. And now, they all had an outfit that was used primarily for crime time. Tommy wanted costumes, but Wilbur complained that they'd look stupid. Techno suggested that each of their clothes have an aspect that hides some of their faces. That way, if they do run into cameras or police, they're harder to identify. Philza forced everyone to choose a coat, as most of their jobs took place at night, and this far north can get chilly. 

Philza's outfit was a brown aviator jacket with a mouthguard and a pair of goggles. He and Tommy had identical goggles; after all, the quicker they fly, the harder it was to keep their eyes open against the wind. Tommy based his attire off of a weak attempt to look cool with a smaller budget. He had only wanted a leather jacket, but when Philza claimed it wouldn't keep him warm enough, he agreed to wear a dark grey hoodie underneath the slick black coat. Aside from his goggles, he also wore a red bandana, which was usually tied comfortably around his neck. Tommy got cool, matching black leather fingerless gloves, but Philza made him take them off in fights as it was harder for him to copy powers. 

Techno had the same black fingerless gloves. Technically they were originally his idea, but Tommy stole it. Philza let him wear his gloves, though, during fights as Tommy scarcely took Techno's power, only with the man's permission. Techno also had a red hoodie and his usual crown that sat underneath the hood. His choice of face-covering was a gas mask that he got from somewhere and a pair of combat boots. Techno somehow managed to pull off the strange look of a king going into modern warfare. The most noticeable change with Techno's appearance, however, was not his clothes. Tommy cannot pinpoint exactly when it happened, but one morning he woke up, and instead of seeing Techno's usual brown hair, the color changed to a soft pink. Somehow, it suited him more and complimented his blue eyes.

Skeppy's outfit was the simplest, a blue hoodie with a face mask that had a smile on it. It made sense. With his power, he didn't need an intricate outfit. His clothes changed when he shifted into other people, so going into detail was unnecessary. Wilbur's clothes are the most fashionable of the five. His coat of choice was a short, beige trench coat, along with his beanie, and to block his face, a scarf. Somehow, Philza let it slide, but no, Tommy can't wear a leather jacket unless he has another coat underneath. Tommy's was the coolest, though, if you ignore Techno's. 

"Little T," a hand waved in front of his face, bringing him back into the conversation. 

"Why did that have to be my name?" Tommy complained, sparing a glance at Skeppy. "Ronald McDonald." The tan boy grinned, nodding as he quickly changed into the clown. 

"Because," Techno hummed, holding out his hand to Tommy, who looked at him with confusion. "I'm Big T. You're the one who named us."

"Yeah, but I could be Big Man," he pointed out, taking the hand, careful to avoid Techno's skin. Techno huffed as Tommy hopped down, shifting his hand to where their skin touched. 

"Yeah, but I think Little T is better," he pointed out, watching Tommy stare at the hand. "Now come on- Santa Clause- don't you want to practice?" Tommy nodded excitedly, peeking over to Skeppy, who had shifted to the fat man. 

"Come on," Skeppy called. "Try harder."

"Your first-grade teacher," Wilbur called, and Skeppy frowned, tapping his chin in thought. 

"Okay, tense up, brace yourself," Techno warned, cracking his knuckles. "If you get hurt, Phil'll kill me." Techno pat his chest with his fist, looking at Tommy. "Right here, okay?"

"Boo!" Wilbur called, giving the duo a thumbs down. "Just punch him!" Techno laughed and looked to Tommy with a nod. 

"Ready?"

"Yes," Tommy confirmed, clenching his fist. Techno reeled his fist back and slammed it into his chest, and Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, flinching away until he felt the impact. Tommy peeked an eye open as a surge of energy ran through him; a small ache resided where Techno's fist sat. "I did it!" he cheered, looking to Wilbur excitedly, who grinned and nodded. 

"Good job- the smartest kid in your class from high school," he called to Skeppy, who, once again, held a lost expression. Tommy looked over to Techno, who held up a clenched fist.

"Okay, next step?"

"You focus on the part of the body where you want the energy. Don't use all of your energy in that one place though; it'll wear you out," Tommy recited, and Techno nodded with a pleased smirk. 

"Mhm," he hummed, gesturing to the car. "Go ahead." Tommy reeled his hand back before slamming it into the doorframe. He pulled his hand back and admired the large dent in the side of the door, looking back to Techno. "It's good," Techno complimented, ruffling his hair. "Better than last time when you broke a hand."

"I didn't break my hand," Tommy grunted, shaking out his fist. "It just went numb for a little while."

"And turned a different color," a female voice commented from behind the three, and Tommy glared back at Skeppy. 

"Change to an old man, one that looks like skin and bones," Tommy demanded, and Skeppy laughed, shifting from the girl to an older male. Tommy looked back to Techno, a grin plastered on his face. "So, when are you going to teach me to do the cool jumping stuff you do?"

"I only learned that a few months ago," Techno pointed out, shaking his head. "Maybe when you're older," he offered, and Tommy nodded. 

"Okay, Big T." He looked at the ground, grabbing a rock, and focusing the energy in his hand. He tossed it into the windshield, watching as a variety of white, thin cracks engulfed the screen. Wilbur hummed in satisfaction and lightly pressed his shoe on the glass from the roof where he had, too, sat. It shattered into dust beneath the increasing pressure, and Tommy quickly ducked his head and looked away. He looked back with a loud, excited laugh. "That was so cool-!" 

"Hey!" A shout sounded from a little further away. The four looked up in shock, finding a group of three off in the distance. Still, they weren't looking for a fight, specifically because Philza would kill them if they got injured, so Tommy looked back to the group and shouted one word.

"Scatter!" 

Dream watched as the three vandalizing the car split off into three different directions. He broke off into a sprint, adjusting his mask as he ran. Tubbo had already angled himself left to chase after the one in the black jacket, so that left the pink-haired man and the beanie-boy. "Sapnap, beanie is slower, so help the man then go after him," Dream instructed, and the tan boy nodded. 

Sapnap hurried to the elderly man, a pang of pity hitting him. "Sorry about your car, sir," he apologized, watching as a look of surprise flashed across his face.

"Huh?" The old man blinked, looking past Sapnap at his car. "Oh, that's okay," he replied with a kind, relieved smile. 

"Don't worry about those guys," Sapnap assured, a bright grin on his face. "We'll get 'em for you. Are you okay?" Sapnap offered Skeppy a hand, which he hesitantly took.

"I’m okay, just a little shaken. Thanks, kid," the man smiled. "Make sure you teach them a lesson." Sapnap nodded, giving the man a thumbs up as he turned to run in the direction the beanie boy had run. He noticed Dream chasing the pink-haired boy down the alley and turned back to the man.

"I have to go," he explained, and the man nodded, gesturing to him to go ahead.

"Thanks, sonny," he called as Sapnap turned and ran down the alley Dream had moments ago. 

Skeppy watched the tanned boy runoff, making a mental note of his looks. He did so with everyone he met; it helped in the future when he needed disguises. The boy had a white bandana tied around his head and a white, loose overshirt with a bright orange sweatshirt underneath. Then, there was the green-hoodie boy. He had a white mask with a smiley face drawn on it that covered his face, so all he knew of him was his outfit and the color of his dirty blonde hair that poked out of his hood. Finally, there was the brunet kid. Skeppy didn't get the best look at him, but from what he could tell, he had a yellow sweater and black overalls. He also had a black backpack all, but that was all he could distinguish in the blur of events. Still, he needed to get out of there before the tan boy returned. He quickly shifted back to his regular form and rushed off.

Dream watched as the pink boy helped boost beanie boy over the chain gate in the alleyway before watching as the boy jumped over the tall fence with ease. He blinked behind his mask; they have abilities too. Maybe they were the group they got the report for, a group of people with strange powers that commit crimes in this city. It seemed to fit. 

"Suck it, green boy!" the boy in front of him shouted, causing him to focus back on reality. He froze; the footsteps that approached sounded distant. The footsteps soon froze as well. 

"Wilbur?" Sapnap asked behind him, and Dream pulled off his mask to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He wasn't. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Dream asked as he met familiar brown eyes. 

"Dream? Sapnap?" Wilbur asked, a confused look plastered on his face. "Funny seeing you here."

"You're a criminal?" Sapnap asked in disbelief; the pink-hair boy shrugged.

"When the going gets tough, do crime," he stated, and Dream had to take a second look. 

"Techno?" he hissed, gripping his mask tighter. "What the hell?" he repeated. Techno looked to Wilbur then to Dream. 

"We're doing what we can to survive," Wilbur shrugged, taking a step back and turning away from the two. 

"So, breaking an old man's car is surviving?" Dream asked, and Techno frowned. 

"Oh my god," Wilbur hissed, smacking his head into his hands. "Fucking Skeppy," he mumbled too low to hear.

"It's fun," Techno hummed, looking at them one last time. "You should try it," he called as he turned around, and the two disappeared down the alleyway. Sapnap looked to Dream. 

"We're not gonna chase them?" he asked. "You could easily scale this fence." Dream shook his head, pulling his mask back on and turning around.

"I have a feeling we'll meet again."

.

Tommy huffed as he ran forward, moving to swerve around another corner. This guy wouldn't ease up. He yelped in surprise as his body lurched forward, skidding on the pavement as his stalker jumped on him. He felt the weight on him shift, then a hand grabbed his shoulder roughly and flipped him over. He squeezed his eyes shut, flinching away from the fist, trying to tense up to absorb the impact, but it never came. 

"Oh," came a soft voice from above him, and he peeked open an eye, surprise filling him as he stared up at an equally-surprised Tubbo. He lowered his fist, shaking his head. "I wasn't going to punch you."

"Yeah, you were," Tommy argued, still too surprised to move. "Tubbo?"

"Yeah," Tubbo nodded. "Hi, Tommy." 

"Hey, Tubbo." It only took a second longer before Tommy pushed himself upwards and tightly hugged Tubbo, who happily returned the gesture.

"I haven't seen you in a year or so!" Tommy exclaimed, looking at the boy with an excited grin. Tubbo grinned back, nodding. "How're you? Are you still with Dream and George and Sapnap?"

"Mhm," Tubbo hummed, "are you with Philza and Techno and Wilbur still?"

"Yeah." Tommy stared at his friend, slightly ashamed to be at a loss for words. "You tackled me."

"I thought you were a criminal," Tubbo explained, and Tommy hummed. 

"I am."

"Oh," Tubbo muttered, nodding. "I tackled you." Tommy broke out into another grin, laughing. 

"Yeah, you did."

"Why're you a criminal?" Tubbo asked, tilting his head in confusion. Tommy shrugged, trying to come up with the reason Techno always said, but he couldn't remember it. He opened his mouth, then closed it.

"It's fun," he shrugged. "You chase criminals often?"

"Sometimes," Tubbo revealed, frowning as he looked down. "You tore your pants."

"No," Tommy shook his head. "You tore my pants. I'm telling Philza."

"Oh no, please don't," Tubbo begged with a grin.

"Hey, Tubbo?"

"What?"

"You know, you forgot my birthday."

"Shut up, man!" Tubbo snickered. Tommy laughed with Tubbo, pushing himself back to the wall with a grin. "Hey, Tommy?"

"Yeah, Tubbo?" 

"Since you're a criminal, and I hunt criminals, are we enemies?" Tommy paused and furrowed his brows in thought.

"I guess, but we're best friends too, still, right?" Tommy asked, and Tubbo nodded quickly, before he could even begin to doubt himself. "Good, so we're frenemies!"

"Frenemies?" Tubbo asked, tilting his head curiously. Tommy nodded. 

"Frenemies. Crime is kind of like my job, so when I'm doing my job, we're enemies. But that's usually at night, so during the day we can be best friends," he explained. Tubbo grinned, nodding excitedly in agreement.

"That works-."

"Tommy!" he heard Wilbur shout in the distance, and he looked towards the noise worriedly. 

"Let's meet up tomorrow at noon in the arcade inside the mall."

"I don't know which-," Tubbo didn't get to finish. Tommy pushed him against the wall, behind enough junk that he was out of view, and stood up, rushing towards the opening of the alleyway.

"Hey, Wilbur," Tommy grunted as Techno and Wilbur hurried over to him.

"What's wrong?" Techno asked with a frown, and Tommy shrugged weakly. "You fought Tubbo?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Fucking ass, I don't know why I was ever his friend," Tommy lied with ease. Wilbur nodded solemnly.

"Yeah," he hummed, wrapping an arm over his shoulders. "What'd he do to your jeans?"

"Fucking pushed me over!" Tommy huffed. "He was a stuck up prick, nothing like the Tubbo I know." Tubbo had to cover his mouth from laughing, slightly alarmed by the fact that they believed him. 

"Sorry, Tommy," Techno hummed, patting his back. "Maybe he just had a bad day?"

"Maybe," Tommy muttered. "I'll go to the mall and get new jeans tomorrow," he offered, and Wilbur nodded. 

"Sure, let's get home. Phil's making spaghetti," Wilbur explained, and the three disappeared down the street. Tubbo peaked out and watched them go, slightly confused at why Tommy had lied, but he supposed that he would get an explanation tomorrow. Now he just needed to find out which mall had an arcade.

. 

Tommy stretched, walking over to the door and reaching for the handle as inconspicuously as he could. Somehow, Philza could tell he was up to something. "Where're you going?" he called, and Tommy looked back at the blond with a shrug. 

"To get more jeans."

"Oh," Skeppy looked up from where he sat. "Can I come?"

"No," Tommy answered quickly, and Skeppy shot up.

"Please," he begged. "I'm so bored; I won't get in your way or anything, promise!" Tommy looked at Skeppy with narrowed eyes before sighing. 

"Fine, come on. I'll see you later, Philza!" he called to the male, who smiled at him and nodded. 

"See you two later." Tommy and Skeppy hurried out of the house, and Tommy looked to Skeppy.

"You know."

"That you have fifty pairs of pants and instead you're going to the arcade? Yep," Skeppy grinned, shoving the boy playfully. "Dunno why you wanted to get rid of me though." 

"Meeting a friend," Tommy explained, and Skeppy blinked in realization.

"Tubbo?" he asked, recalling the story Wilbur told yesterday at the table. "Isn't he a jerk?" Tommy stared at Skeppy, and the boy blinked in realization. "You lied?"

"Yep," Tommy nodded, beginning the walk towards the mall. 

"Why?" Skeppy asked, tilting his head curiously as he hurried to catch up.

"Because, if I didn't, Techno and the others might not have let me go out alone today. They'd suspect I was trying to meet up with him-."

"Which you are."

"-And would worry I'd switch sides or get myself in danger," Tommy explained, shrugging. "I want some time with Tubbo, and I didn't want to take any chances that I wouldn't have been able to see him. He's my best friend. Besides, Philza gives me extra garlic bread if I'm sad on spaghetti night."

"I get it," Skeppy grinned, nodding. "Don't worry, I'll keep your little secret as blackmail material," he assured. Tommy rolled his eyes, but smiled at the tan boy.

"Thanks, Skeppy."

.

"What're you dressed for?" Sapnap hummed, looking over at Tubbo curiously. Tubbo spun around, looking at the boy with wide eyes as he fiddled with his fingers. "We aren't doing anything until tonight."

"I wanted to go get food, like groceries and stuff for us," Tubbo explained, catching the other three's attention.

"Oh," Bad chirped. "I can help!" Tubbo shifted on the heels of his feet, opening his mouth to object, but Dream quickly cut him off.

"That's a good idea, Bad," Dream nodded. "You don't mind, right, Tubbo?" Tubbo looked to Dream, who stared back expectantly, and sighed.

"Yeah," he agreed. "The more help, the merrier." Bad cheered, oblivious to Tubbo's disappointment, as he hurried over to his side. 

"See you two later," Dream called as Tubbo pulled open the door. Tubbo waved, hearing a small 'stay safe' from George before he shut the door behind him. 

The two began down the sidewalk, walking in silence, aside from Bad's gentle humming. Tubbo sighed, catching Bad's attention as he stared at the ground. 

"What's wrong?" Bad teased, a small, sympathetic smile plastered across his face. "Nervous about grocery shopping?" 

"I-." Tubbo picked at his nails, not making eye contact. "We're not going grocery shopping."

"We're not?" Bad asked, tilting his head. "Where're we going?"

"To the mall," Tubbo explained. "I'm meeting with a friend."

"Really?" Bad asked. Tubbo nodded numbly, watching Bad nervously. "That sounds fun! Why didn't you say so? I can go back if you want."

"No," Tubbo shook his head. "Dream would get suspicious. He can't know, or I might get in trouble." Bad nodded slowly, as if trying to understand.

"Why?"

"Because," Tubbo muttered, trying to come up with an excuse. "He is suspicious of people he's never met, and I just want to talk to my friend without an interrogation."

"Ah," Bad nodded faster, smiling brightly. "Well, your secret is safe with me! And don't worry, I won't get in your way." Tubbo sighed, relief flooding through him as his shoulders sagged. 

"Thanks, Bad." 

The two somehow managed to find their way to the mall, making it to the arcade right at twelve. Tubbo was somewhat proud of himself. He looked around curiously. Tommy was nowhere to be seen outside the arcade, so he decided his best bet was inside. Unluckily, the arcade was somewhat full on a Friday at noon. Tubbo grabbed Bad's arm, who was too distracted looking at the games to notice, and pulled him along as he searched through the dimly-lit room. 

He turned a corner, past more machines, and frowned. Maybe Tommy wasn't here yet? He spun around, turning to go back and wait by the door, but suddenly someone was in his face.

"Boo!"

"Ah!" Tubbo screamed, and on instinct, he swung at the person in front of him. Tommy reeled back, avoiding the fist before Tubbo could hit him.

"Chill!" Tommy ordered, holding up his hands in defeat. Tubbo stared at Tommy before bursting out into fits of laughter with the blond.

"Sorry," he apologized. "You scared me." Tommy nodded, giving Tubbo a blank stare. 

"Yeah," Tommy nodded. "That was the point of me saying boo; I just didn't expect you to throw a punch. You're lucky Wilbur tries to punch me a lot, or else you might've hit me."

"Who's Wilbur?" Bad asked, catching Tommy's attention. Tommy stared at Bad in confusion then to Tubbo for an explanation.

"Oh!" Tubbo chirped, looking to Bad. "This is Bad. Dream wanted me to take someone with; he doesn't know I'm meeting you."

"Nice to meet you," Bad smiled, holding out a hand that Tommy took. 

"Hello," Tommy nodded. "Wilbur is one of my brothers," Tommy explained. Bad nodded in understanding. "I also brought a tag-along," Tommy gestured for the two to follow. 

"Oh, what's his name? Is he a part of your- uh, family?"

"His name's- oh, there he is!" Tommy chirped, pointing over to a boy huddled over skeeball. "Skeppy!"

"Skeppy?" Bad asked, and Tommy nodded. Skeppy spun around, looking for where Tommy had shouted from with a confused face.

"I know him," Bad whispered, his hand releasing from Tubbo's. Tubbo stared up at Bad, a frown plastered on his face.

"You do?" Bad didn't answer. Instead, he rushed over to Skeppy and pulled the boy into a tight hug before Skeppy could even comprehend what had happened. 

"Hello?" Skeppy asked, stiffly trying to pat the back of the sniffling stranger on him. "Are you okay?" He looked over, spotting Tommy, who shrugged with an equally confused look. Bad pulled back, looking at Skeppy with a small smile.

"Bad?" Skeppy looked at the boy with wide eyes, watching him nod weakly. Skeppy seemed to snap out of his state of shock quickly. "It's actually you!" he laughed with excitement, wrapping him into a warm embrace. "What-? How'd you-, I thought you di- I was worried about you!" Skeppy admitted, his eyes burning and cheeks hurting from how wide he was smiling, and Bad merely nodded once more. 

"I'm okay," Bad whispered. "Are you?"

"I'm-," Skeppy laughed, his grip tightening slightly on his back. "I guess I'm okay, getting colder out, so I've got sinus issues, but otherwise-." Bad snorted, hesitantly pulling back from Skeppy, who smiled warmly. "I'm good."

"What're you doing here?"

"My friends and I've been sticking together since- well, I couldn't find you- I looked everywhere. So, these guys let me travel with them, and eventually, we just stuck together and stayed in the city. What about you?"

"I couldn't find you either after we got split, but there were these teens in the woods. I joined their group, and then we all got a- uh- job together, and we travel a lot because of it. Oh- Tubbo!" Bad looked over to the two, gesturing them to come over.

"That sounds productive," Skeppy murmured, looking over to where Bad was looking.

"Yeah?" Tubbo asked, walking with Tommy to stand by the two.

"This is Tubbo; he's one of my friends!" Bad introduced. Skeppy grinned and held out a hand, which Tubbo took nervously.

"Hello."

"Tommy talks a lot about you," he claimed, watching Tommy shrug. 

"Not that much."

"Too much," Skeppy argued, and Tommy rolled his eyes. "Tubbo this, Tubbo that, it's weird. Oh, Bad! Tommy's one of the friends I was talking about," Skeppy explained to Bad, who nodded enthusiastically. 

"Nice to meet you again!"

"Oh, no, it really isn't," Skeppy shook his head. "He's a nightmare."

"An absolute menace," Tubbo agreed, grinning as Tommy protested loudly.

"What the fuck!"

"Language," Bad quickly scolded.

"Yeah, Tommy," Skeppy hissed like a hypocrite. Tommy glared at him, but before he could say anything, Bad interjected.

"We should plan a get-together for all of our friends to meet!" Tubbo and Tommy shared a look of knowing, but as they went to object, Skeppy nodded.

"That sounds fun!" Tommy gaped at Skeppy, a confused noise leaving him before he grabbed Skeppy's arm and tugged him off.

"One second," he called back with a wave before looking at Skeppy. "Skeppy, you do know that Tubbo, Dream, George, Sapnap-."

"Are our enemies, yeah. But, Bad's not. I mean, have you seen Bad? He's too nice to hurt anyone- I don't even know if he's strong enough to hurt a fly," Skeppy explained, and Tommy didn't think he could be anymore oblivious. He knew better. Bad joined Tubbo's team, so he wasn't there for nothing: he was with them. With that said, though, Tommy wasn't going to be the one to break Skeppy's delusions. He merely nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Still, we can't just have a casual meet-up," Tommy reasoned, but Skeppy didn't seem to understand, groaning loudly in response.

"Tommy, I haven't seen Bad in a while, and you haven't seen your friends in a while," he murmured. "Can't we have one small meeting where we just, I don't know, hang out?" Tommy shifted at the thought, frowning.

"I'd have to convince everyone to go along with it, including Dream's team."

"I know," Skeppy nodded. "But you're a good convincer."

"Yeah, yeah," Tommy groaned, looking back to see Tubbo babbling to Bad. He didn't know if it was even possible to plan this reunion, but Skeppy seemed adamant. He sighed in defeat. "Send Tubbo over and go hang out with Bad; I'll plan the silly little family reunion." 

"Thank you, Tommy." Skeppy hurried off before Tommy could change his mind. A moment later, Tubbo stumbled over with a worried look. 

"We're actually doing it? Tommy, this isn't going to work."

"I know, I know, but if I said no, Skeppy was going to cry obnoxiously." He studied Tubbo for a moment. "Tubbo, do you think you could convince your team into pretending they don't know my team? And into going to a meet up for the sake of friendship?"

"Pretending they don't know you?" Tubbo asked in confusion.

"Skeppy doesn't think Bad's in your group and Bad has no clue we're criminals," Tommy whispered in a hushed tone as he handed Tubbo a couple of quarters. He pointed at a shooter game, and the two wandered over.

"Did you tell him?" Tubbo asked, and Tommy shook his head quickly.

"No, he's too blind to figure it out on his own, so don't let him know. And Bad doesn't need to know about us either; I don't want to ruin anything by announcing we're on opposing sides." Tubbo nodded, a small grin on his face.

"We're like matchmakers but for friends." Tommy laughed loudly, nodding. 

"Yes, Tubbo. That's because people are envious of our friendship."

"We must be pretty good friends then."

"Well, duh," Tommy grinned. "We're best friends. So," he looked to Tubbo. "What are we going to do about this friend meeting thing?" 

"Oh, yeah," Tubbo shifted the gun to the side. "How about a picnic?"

"Yeah, that sounds lame enough to convince Philza," Tommy nodded. "When should we do it?"

"In a day or two? The quicker we do it, the less time Dream has to think about saying no."

"Two days, Wilbur hates short notice events," Tommy muttered, pulling the plastic trigger. "We're damn good matchmakers."

"The best, honestly," Tubbo agreed with a grin. 

"Damn," Tommy groaned. "I've got to tell everyone I lied to them," he muttered, looking to Tubbo, who blinked in realization. "What?"

"Dream's going to yell at me."

.

"What?" Dream asked as the distant sound of a shower started. 

"We got lost, and so we didn't get groceries," Tubbo explained, picking at his nail.

"For four hours?"

"I believe it," George pitched in, catching Dream's attention. "It's Tubbo and Bad; what do you expect?" Dream sighed and looked back to Tubbo with calculating eyes before they softened. Tubbo struggled to maintain eye contact, but if he looked away, Dream would know.

"Tubbo," Dream said cooly, and Tubbo bit his lip nervously, looking away.

"Me and Tommy went to an arcade; while we were there, Bad saw his friend he's been searching for, and now, we have a meet-up with Phil, Techno, Wilbur, Skeppy, and Tommy planned out in a couple of days," Tubbo spoke in one breath. Dream blinked with wide eyes, and the room was silent apart from Bad's singing from the shower. 

"One more time," Dream requested, sitting on the edge of the bed, next to Sapnap. "Slower." 

"I'm sorry," Tubbo apologized quickly.

"It’s okay," Dream nodded. "Explain."

"I wasn't looking for groceries," Tubbo muttered. "Tommy and I agreed to meet up at the arcade in the mall, so we went, and Tommy brought his friend Skeppy along. Bad's Skeppy. So, Bad heard about Tommy's friend group, you know, Philza and them, and wanted all of us to hang out."

"And you said yes?" Sapnap asked. Tubbo shook his head.

"No, Tommy said yes. I just agreed with him." Tubbo looked back at the bathroom door, then to the three. "But we don't know them."

"I know them," George inputted. 

"Me too," Sapnap agreed. 

"No, Tommy doesn't want to ruin their friendship with a rivalry," Tubbo sighed. "For just a day, one meeting. We're still friends, even if we don't agree with their actions. We don't even have to focus on that issue- it's actually better if you don't- we just have to hang out. Please?" Tubbo begged, watching Dream's brows furrow as he thought. "I- It was really fun to hang out with Tommy like old times, and I think it'd be good for us."

"Fine," Dream nodded, glancing at George and Sapnap, who shrugged. "One day, we start anew." He sighed, smiling at the boy. "I can't wait to meet your friends."

.

"So," Tommy broke through the silence as they walked. "What do you think? A nice, family-friendly picnic where we act like we don't know each other, and we hang out as strangers for a day."

"So, you and Tubbo are still best friends?" Philza clarified, tearing his eyes away from the building ahead to look at Tommy. 

"Yep."

"And Tubbo isn't a jerk?"

"Nope."

"No, he is, or no, he isn't?" Wilbur questioned.

"Oh, he's a jerk, just not the way I described. He forgot my birthday," Tommy pointed out.

"Okay, let me get this straight. You've been lying to us all day, and you expect us to be okay and go along with this horribly planned meet-up?" Wilbur asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Yes," Tommy nodded with a blank stare, not seeing the issue. Wilbur laughed and shoved the boy teasingly. 

"Sure, I'm down; it'll be funny when everything crashes and burns," Wilbur hummed.

"True," Techno nodded. "And they're in on it too? I'm a bad actor, you know."

"First off, fuck you two, I've planned this event wonderfully. Secondly, Bad's oblivious; you'll be fine, Techno. And finally, I told Tubbo to convince them, and no one says no to Tubbo. So yeah, they're in on it." Tommy looked to Philza, who seemed to be in thought. "Is it okay, Big Man?"

"Hm, yeah," he nodded, smiling. "I think so. It'll be a nice break. But you chose the worst time to ask us. How about we chat more about it after this mission?" 

"Sure." Tommy pulled up his bandana and down his goggles, nodding with a hidden grin. He grabbed his walkie-talkie, clicking it on. "Big S, you in place?"

"Sure am, Little T. Just tell me when," Skeppy responded a moment later. 

"Copy that; we're getting into place now," Tommy nodded to Wilbur and Techno, who wandered off with a wave. Tommy turned to Philza, who stared at Tommy's gloves with a sigh.

"They're not practical."

"But they look cool," Tommy grinned, holding up his hand for a high-five. Philza rolled his eyes with a small smile, clapping their hands together, and watching Tommy form wings.

"Hey, Tommy," Phil hummed as he began up towards the roof of the nearby building. 

"Yeah, Phil?"

"I'm glad Tubbo's still Tubbo- that he's still your friend," he commented as he took off. 

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, watching the other hurry up the building. "Me too," he flew after Philza with a small smile on his face. 

The two landed on the roof, overlooking the shipyard as the wind blew gently. "So, Big P, we just need to get the cases and deliver them? What's in them?"

"Little T, you ask this every time; I don't know what's in them," Philza sighed. "But yes, we just have to get the cases." Tommy nodded. He jumped on the ledge of the roof and peered into the night. Their goal was to get the van, which was currently being stocked with their employer's goods. Their plan was simple. When they give the signal, Skeppy was to blend in with the workers. Then, when everything is loaded, he says the codeword. After the codeword, the rest of them come and take care of the workers, then they drive off with the goods and get lots of money.

"This one's a big one, right?"

"Yeah," Philza hummed. "We'd be good for a while if we can get this one job done."

"It seems too easy," Tommy pointed out, and Philza laughed.

"You're gonna jinx us."

"He already has," a voice commented behind the two. Tommy tilted his head back, peeking over his shoulder. Tubbo and George. "What exactly do you want with those packages?" George asked, and Tommy shrugged, tightening his goggles.

"Dunno, something fun, probably," he shrugged. "Wanna join?"

"Oh yeah, sure. Let me just tell Dream," George nodded, glancing at Tubbo.

"Dream's here too? Dream is so cool, isn't Dream so cool, Big P?" Tommy asked, watching the blond nod. Philza went to speak but was cut off by a crackle on Tommy's walkie-talkie.

"We've got company- W, watch out," Techno advised; there was a distant scoff. 

"We got some too; they know Dream!"

"The Dream? As in Dream, Dream?" Wilbur asked, closer now, slightly out of breath. "Well, you'll be jealous; I've met him in person, just now. You should get down here and meet him too." 

"Maybe," Tommy hummed. "Would you two mind?" he asked, looking at George and Tubbo.

"We may have to intervene," George warned, lowering into a fighting stance. Tommy scooched further back on the ledge. 

"Or we could go the short way," Tommy pointed out, flapping his wings for extra emphasis. Tubbo looked to George, who nodded. Tubbo grabbed his backpack straps and tugged at one of the tightening pieces. Two faux bee wings extended and began to flutter, lifting him from the ground in a hover. "That's cheating," Tommy pointed out.

"No," Tubbo shook his head. "I made it myself. Don't they look cool?"

"Screw this," Tommy huffed. "Come on, Big P." He turned and flew off the edge, but the second he jumped, George teleported and grabbed his foot and yanked him back to the roof. Philza was quick to respond and threw a punch at George, who teleported behind Philza to avoid it, no longer focusing on Tommy.

Tommy pushed himself up and went to help Philza, but movement in the corner of his eye distracted him. He quickly ducked on instinct, something he's learned from Techno's lessons, watching Tubbo's fist miss his head. "Sorry," Tubbo said. "We're enemies right now."

"No hard feelings," Tommy grunted, grabbing Tubbo's foot and yanking him. He didn't fall like expected, or at least he didn't hit the ground, despite coming close. He quickly recovered, floating as his wings buzzed behind him. Luckily, he was distracted enough for Tommy to flee. He broke out into a sprint, using George, who was crouched low, as a boost to jump off and to help Philza. 

He pushed his hair out of his goggles as he flew up, looking back as Tubbo appeared behind him and threw a strong kick to his side. He managed to block some of the hit with his hand, redirecting the attack to his wrist. He hissed, grabbing the soon-to-be-bruised skin. "Good kick," he grunted, and Tubbo nodded.

"Thanks!"

Tommy flew up to get some distance, but Tubbo was close behind him. He looked back at the boy, twisting around and whacking him with his wings, throwing him back away from him. "Tubbo, go away."

"No," Tubbo responded, rubbing his side where the wing had hit him hardest. He collected himself and followed after Tommy, launching himself at the boy as he had prior. Tommy shouted as the two fumbled in the air, momentarily falling before they were able to get into a more upright position. Tommy shoved with the gloved parts of his hands, hitting Tubbo away as he tried to separate from him. Tubbo bit Tommy's hand, making him shout in alarm and slam his fist on Tubbo's head, trying to get him to let go.

Tubbo eventually released his hand and shoved at Tommy's face to get him to stop hitting him. Tommy's eyes widened when he felt Tubbo's hand push him away. Tommy stumbled back just far enough away to put space between them before Tommy's wings dissipated. "P!" he shouted on impulse as gravity took effect. Tubbo reached for him a second too late. Philza had managed to get away from George, who was distracted by the shout, momentarily, stretching out as far as could and barely grazing Tommy's hand. Fortunately, it was enough to provide him with wings, but unfortunately, he didn't have enough time to react. He squeezed his eyes shut, his wings outstretched and slowing him down slightly but not enough as he neared the ground. Two arms quickly wrapped around him before he could hit the pavement, and he looked up to Techno, who had jumped up to catch him and was now watching the ground with narrowed eyes as it grew close.

The two landed with a simple thud, and Techno set Tommy down gently. "Good?"

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, "did that take a lot of energy?" 

"A bit," Techno confirmed. "But I got it back with that landing. You're lucky I learned to jump that high-." 

"T!" A shout, Wilbur, came from behind the two. Techno looked back then to Tommy. 

"I've got to go-."

"Give me your power," Tommy demanded. He expected Techno to say no, and to have to explain the request, but the king just rolled his eyes and flicked Tommy's nose. 

"There. Stay safe, no more falling," Techno ordered, and Tommy nodded with a grin, waving as Techno rushed off. Tommy turned and looked up once more, spotting Tubbo flying down. He turned on his heel and hurried into the darkness, hearing a distant 'hey!'. 

He quickly turned around corners, making sure he lost Tubbo. It seemed to work, and he quickly hurried to his real destination. "Big S!" he huffed as he approached the boy hiding behind a shipping container. "I need you to be me." 

"What? What's going on?" Skeppy asked as he spun around to look at the male. "You're a mess."

"Yep, we've got our trusty friends here, and they're trying to intervene," Tommy explained, glancing behind him momentarily. 

"Oh," Skeppy hummed.

"I need you to switch with me; I'll get the containers. I've got Techno's power, so it'll be easier for me to take on three guys than it would be for you."

"Why can't we both just do it?"

"Because Tubbo's looking for me," Tommy groaned. "Just switch with me. All you have to do is distract them. Stick with Techno and Wilbur or something; they'll know and help out."

"I'm a better fighter than you," Skeppy rolled his eyes with a grin, shifting into the boy. "But sure, stay safe, Tommy."

"Sure," Tommy nodded. "See you soon, Big S."

"Can't wait for your grand entrance!" Skeppy called as he rushed off. 

Somehow, he found his way back to the group. Techno, Philza, and Wilbur were huddled in a circle, keeping eyes on the four other people in front of them. Two of them Skeppy didn't recognize. There was a boy with white and black goggles, blocking his eyes from view, that also had a blue, white, and red striped sweatshirt. Next, there was a literal spot of black, the only other color being bits of red every here and there. The other two were the same ones from yesterday, with the addition of three dogs. Tubbo was missing, Skeppy noted. He looked around in confusion before spotting the boy flying over to Dream's side and whispering something to him. 

Dream looked around, his white mask giving no hint towards his intent, but when he spotted Skeppy, he looked back to Tubbo and whispered some reply. Techno seemed to notice Skeppy- or Tommy- too and said something to Philza. Skeppy watched the black figure step back into a shadow and disappear before reappearing behind Skeppy. Skeppy was quick to roll out of the way of shadow boy's fist, and he retaliated with a swipe of his leg, knocking the boy over. He pushed himself up and looked back to Techno, who stared at him in realization. Techno whispered something else to the team and nodded at Skeppy, who grinned and waved. Like that, the fight had begun once more.

Wilbur mouthed the word 'seven,' and Philza nodded, grabbing Wilbur's wrist and taking off. Philza swung Wilbur and let go, causing him to drop on George, knocking them both to the ground. "Hey," Wilbur hummed, pushing himself up. Before he could touch him, Dream had kicked him off and pulled George up, protectively stepping in front of him. Wilbur held his stomach with a grunt, Techno hurrying to his side and picking him up with a glare directed at Dream. The two looked back at the sound of a bark, noticing Sapnap's dogs charging at them, and Techno sighed. 

"Twenty-seven?"

"No, T, I hate that-," Wilbur didn't get to finish. Techno grabbed him by the wrist and quickly spun him around in the air, off the ground, giving no space for anyone to touch them, including the dogs, Wilbur's feet forcing them away. Techno looked up at the sound of a whistle and slowed to a stop, but he gave Wilbur no chance to catch his breath before tossing him into the air. Philza grabbed Wilbur with a grunt, watching Techno, who was staring down Dream and George, momentarily before flying off to set Wilbur down. 

"Go on," Techno hummed. "Hit me." Dream scoffed and stepped forward, gesturing Techno to try and hit him.

"You first." Techno shrugged and rushed at the boy, taking multiple swings that never landed. 

"Wow, you got more annoying," he grunted as he took another swing. 

"You got cockier," Dream pointed out, ducking once more. Techno nodded.

"That's fair," he laughed, swinging his leg to drop Dream, who jumped as he expected. He quickly recoiled back up before Dream could even touch the ground and slammed his fist into Dream's chest, knocking him back through the air and into George. "Too hard," he muttered in realization. He watched Dream cough as he picked himself up off George, helping the other up. Dream looked over to Techno, and despite the mask, Techno could feel the glare. "Give up?" Techno called, but Dream stepped forward and gestured Techno to come at him once more. 

"Not quite, you?"

Techno grinned. "Not a chance."

Philza looked at Tubbo with worried eyes. "You should get goggles," he pointed out, swerving as Tubbo swung at him. The boy was quick, and Philza wasn't the best fighter, but he was damn good at flying. 

"I'm making some," Tubbo explained. Philza nodded, swooping to the side. Tubbo turned just in time to fly higher and avoid Philza's kick. 

"P!" Wilbur shouted, and Philza sighed, dropping down quicker than Tubbo could react. Tubbo followed the man, watching him grab Wilbur smoothly and lift him out of the way of Buddy and Pal. Sapnap huffed, glancing at Tubbo, who shrugged.

"Sorry, T is busy; he helps with the dogs," Wilbur explained. "I just need to touch him," he groaned. Philza nodded understandingly. 

"How's uh- Little T doing against the dark incarnate?" Philza asked, flying smoothly out of the way of Tubbo. 

"He looks fine to me. Neither of the two seems to be winning, though," Wilbur pointed out. "I can't get Shadow. I tried touching him, but I phased through. He couldn't touch me though either, so lose-lose." Wilbur looked down at Sapnap. "Call off the fucking hounds!"

"Coward!" Sapnap called up, and Philza shouted in alarm as a sudden weight landed on his back. He looked back, seeing George gripping tightly onto his jacket.

"What're you doing?" While he was distracted, Tubbo had managed to grab onto his legs and turn off his wings. "You will both fall!" Philza complained worriedly, struggling to stay up while looking at Wilbur with confusion. 

"Then you better bring us down," George huffed, and Philza grunted in. 

"Fuck," Philza complained, thinking about it for a second before sighing. "Damn it, fine," he groaned, dropping down slowly. He landed, and Wilbur was quick to rip George off of Philza, but the man disappeared before he could even touch him. Wilbur looked to the side and spotted him standing next to Sapnap. He flipped the boys off before grabbing Tubbo and trying to yank him free. "Ow! He's biting me!" 

Wilbur looked at Tubbo with confusion. "Why?" he hissed, grabbing his overalls and yanking harder. "Tubbo, I don't want to have to kick you," Wilbur threatened, and Tubbo quickly let go. The second he pulled him off, George was back distracting Philza, and the dogs were fucking back to chasing Wilbur. "Where the hell is he?" Wilbur huffed loudly, looking to Philza, who was having trouble getting the chance to take off.

"I don't know, but I'm getting tired," Philza pointed out, grabbing George's wrist and yanking him forward. George stumbled but quickly tripped Philza up by kicking at his ankle. 

A sudden noise of honking filled the air, catching everyone's attention as a van screeched to a stop in the middle of the opening, dents and scratches decorating the sides. Tommy leaned out the window, grinning. "Get in, boys! Big Man is driving!" he called, and Wilbur and Philza quickly retreated amidst the confusion. Techno groaned, looking over to Skeppy and waving him along as he ran over. Wilbur had already jumped inside the van with Philza, holding out his hand to pull Techno in as Philza did the same for Skeppy. 

"There are two Tommys?" Sapnap asked in alarm. Skeppy shifted back and waved out the open door of the van, grinning beneath his already smiling mask. 

"See ya losers!" he called, and Tommy started the van, which screeched for a moment before taking off. Sapnap huffed, whistling and throwing a small metal stick with strings at each end, which Buddy bit on to with ease. 

"Go on, Buddy," he requested, kicking out his shoes, causing four wheels to pop out. The dog took off, chasing after the van and tugging him along with ease. 

"Sapnap's following!" Skeppy shouted with alarm into the car, still leaning out the door. Techno peeked out behind him.

"Give up!" he shouted as Skeppy disappeared back in the van. 

"Nope!" Sapnap shouted back. Skeppy reappeared with a case in his hand and passed it to Techno, who looked at him with a frown but shrugged. Techno flung it at Sapnap with scarily accurate aim, causing him to swerve into a storage container to avoid the metal case. Skeppy cheered while Techno pulled him back in and closed the door, and as Sapnap tried to recollect himself, the van disappeared around a corner. 

"Fuck," Sapnap hissed, rubbing his arm with a wince as he stood up. The dog hurried over to him, whining as it nudged him to get up. "I'm fine, I'm good," he muttered, petting Buddy's head and looking back at the case. "What the hell is even in this?" he muttered as he stumbled towards his mystery box, weakly picking it up. He heard the buzz of Tubbo's wings up above him and waved to get his attention before looking back at the object. 

"Are you okay? You're bleeding," Tubbo pointed out as he landed, staring at his head. Sapnap shrugged.

"No pain, no gain," he grinned, waving the box. 

"What's in it?" Tubbo asked, peeking over his shoulder as Sapnap set it on the ground and opened it. Inside was a container of weird, blue liquid. 

"You tell me."

"I- I don't know," Tubbo admitted after staring at it for a moment. "Maybe we can get Fundy to tell us?" Tubbo offered, but before Sapnap could respond, the two looked up at the sound of footsteps. Dream, Bad, and George hurried towards them but slowed when they saw the mystery liquid. 

"What's that?" George asked, and Sapnap scoffed, holding his bleeding head in his hand.

"Welcome to the party, George," Sapnap groaned, wobbling as he stood. Dream wrapped an arm around him to help keep him upright as they began back. "Fuck!" Sapnap hissed, and Dream tilted his head in confusion.

"Language-."

"What?" Dream asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"He was the old man yesterday! That wasn't even the old man's car; it was their fucking shapeshifter," Sapnap whined, leaning against Dream dramatically.

"You got played," George laughed, and Sapnap glared at him.

"Whose side are you on?"

"Anyone but yours," George grinned teasingly, and Sapnap spat at him. "Gross!"

"Hah!" Sapnap taunted, but it turned into a yawn. "Let's get back to the hotel," he murmured, pulling his hand off his busted head.

"Sure," Dream nodded. "Let's get some rest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellloo!! Ok issue is that me and my sibling know everything that’s to come. This means we know more than you guys,, so the likeliness that we didn’t explain something correctly or in depth bc we have knowledge you dont,, is very likely,,,
> 
> Im sorry, if there’s any questions please leave them below,, please
> 
> Anyway!! The chapter’s finally up!! Wooo!!! I hope you liked it :)) it’s getting towards my favorite parts,, so get ready folks. Thank you for reading!!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed, stay safe, and have an amazing morning/afternoon/evening/night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet the boss.

"There are only ninety-nine containers," one of the two men in a suit pointed out. Techno looked to Skeppy, who shrugged, then back to the man.

"Yeah, we ran into an issue. If you need to dock our pay for that, go ahead, but the rest is th-."

"No."

"No?"

"No pay, now get out of here," the man demanded, turning back to his coworker and closing the van door. Techno's eyes narrowed in annoyance, taking a step closer to the men, who looked back unamused.

"I don't think that's entirely fair," Techno growled. "We got all but one." Philza put his hand on Techno's shoulder in an attempt to calm him, but the king just shrugged it off. The man on the left with the funky red and brown tie sighed.

"Listen, you have two options. Get the hell out of here, or talk to the boss," the man offered. "I'm trying to help you here, kid. Take the escape." Techno looked back at his team, shaking his head in distaste. Wilbur gave him a thumbs-up while Tommy held up two fingers, and Techno ran a hand through his hair as he spun around on his heel.

"We want to talk to your boss," Techno grumbled, and the man sighed once more. 

"You're gonna get you and your friends killed-."

"Now." Techno saw the other man in the corner of his eye, the one with a black tie that matched his black suit, move towards a door. Currently, they were in an alleyway between two large business buildings. They were smothered out of sight by the darkness, and luckily, Dream's team hadn't followed them further than outside the shipyard. Techno could see the pink of the sky as the sun rose, and a wave of exhaustion hit him, making him wonder if the money was even worth it, but he ultimately deemed that he needed it. His family needed it. 

"Are you coming?" the man gestured, waving them to the now open door. Techno took the lead as usual and began towards the dark entrance, looking around suspiciously. All that was in the room, however, was a simple staircase. It had an open middle as the stairs stuck against the walls, giving view to the dark void above them. "Go all the way up and knock on the door five times." 

"How many stories is this?" Skeppy asked in disbelief. 

"Thirty-five," the man patted his back, turning to the door. "Better start walking, there's still a chance to turn back," he warned.

"I think we'll take our chances," Techno huffed, turning back to Philza. The door shut with a thud behind them. Philza high-fived Tommy, and the two of them sprouted wings. 

"You good on your own, Techno? I can come back down and get you," Philza offered. 

"I'm fine," Techno confirmed. Philza nodded and balled his hands, looking to Techno, who nodded with open arms. Philza threw the punch, feeling it stop short when it hit his chest. 

"My turn," Tommy chirped, rubbing his eyes tiredly and stifling a yawn. He hurried over, copying Philza with his punch. Then Skeppy punched Techno before strolling over to Tommy's side. Then Wilbur. Techno at least felt a little more awake than he had prior. Techno waved to the three before looking up to the stairs; he directed the energy to his legs and jumped up a couple of stories at a time. 

Tommy grabbed Skeppy's arms and grunted a little as he flew up. "You're so heavy," he complained, staggering slightly. "How do you carry Wil so easily?" he asked Philza as the blond flew past him.

"I offered to help you with upper body training, but you said that you already knew how to 'punch shit,'" Philza grinned, and Tommy nodded.

"Yeah," he agreed, looking up as Techno jumped past them. "That sounds like me," Tommy grunted as he flew higher, shutting his mouth for once to focus. He landed on the top floor a few minutes later, setting Skeppy down before landing beside him. Skeppy smiled sympathetically at him and rubbed his back reassuringly. 

"Thanks, Tommy," he hummed, and Tommy grinned at him. "No problem," he replied before yawning once more. Skeppy leaned close to the boy, cooing before Tommy shoved Skeppy's face jokingly, feeling his wings disappear. Philza, too, put away his wings; he claimed it was safer if their powers were more secretive to the public. Tommy looked at Techno, who waited for the team's okay, before turning to the door and quickly knocking five times. The group sat in tense silence, waiting for a response before there was a smooth 'come in.' 

Techno pushed open the door, wincing as sunlight from curtainless windows filled the dark staircase where they stood. He peeled his eyes open and stared at the man sitting at the desk directly in front of them. Blocking two big, brown doors were stone-faced guards in almost matching suits to the man at the desk. 

"Hello, boys," the man hummed, gesturing them in. He had brown eyes that almost seemed to gleam a warm golden color in the dawn light and brown hair. His rough facial hair suited him despite Techno never meeting the man. In his left hand, he was flipping a gold coin that he caught with ease. "Welcome to Schlatt Industries. I'm Jschlatt, Jebediah Schlatt, Schlatt; never call me Jebediah. What can I do for you?"

"We did a job for you," Techno replied coolly, not flinching away under the man's calculating stare. "But the guys downstairs won't compensate us because we lost one of the packages." The man's smile dropped, and he pulled out a small book. 

"Are you T?"

"T, Techno, whichever," he replied, watching the man flip through the pages as he rested his feet on the desk and leaned back in the chair. 

"Ah," Schlatt muttered, resting his hands behind his head. "You want money?" he asked, and Techno nodded. Schlatt shot forward and slammed his hands on the desk, fury in his eyes, "Then don't fucking lose my stuff!" Techno instinctively held an arm in front of his teammates and frowned, glaring back at Schlatt. 

"We fucking did the job, we fought the assholes trying to stop us, so give us some compensation," Techno growled back. Schlatt chuckled lowly, pushing himself up and walking over to the window. 

"Boys, you have to understand," he didn't look back. "I run a million-dollar business here; I can't have loose ends. And you know what you just gave me?" he asked, turning on his heel and facing them. His back was straight, but somehow he looked perfectly relaxed. "A loose end."

"Sorry," Techno replied unapologetically. "Maybe if you didn't want loose ends, you wouldn't involve yourself in crime." Schlatt laughed, tilting his head as he assessed the group.

"You should leave," he suggested. "I wouldn't want to have little Timmy there see something he shouldn't."

"I'm not little or Timmy," Tommy grumbled, but Philza stopped him with a simple stare. 

"I don't think you're in the position to turn us down, Schlatt," Techno replied, and Schlatt's frown grew into an amused grin. 

"Oh?" he hummed, stepping back behind his desk. "Why's that?" Techno looked back at Skeppy, who stared blankly back at him. 

"We've got plenty of dirt on you," Techno offered. Schlatt pulled open his drawer and sighed, pulling out a gun that caused the group to shift behind Techno. 

"Do you?" he asked, aiming the gun at Techno with a small smirk. Techno nodded. "Or do you think you should zip your lips and walk out of that door?"

"No, we have plenty of damning details," Techno replied confidently.

"I've gotten out of the criminal accusations before, you know?" he asked, twirling the gun around his finger. "Sorry, kid, but you've gotten one too many warnings," he groaned, aiming the gun at the boy and pulling the trigger. 

A loud bang filled the air, then a small tink as the bullet fell and hit the ground. Techno stretched, feeling a little more awake than he had before. "So," Techno's eyes gleamed with cocky delight. "Are you done?" Techno took a step forward as Schlatt set down the gun. "Because I want to tell you about how we'll take you down if you don't pay us what we deserve."

"How's that?" Schlatt frowned, though his eyes gave way to his hidden interest.

"We'll get videos. Videos of you saying some shit you're not supposed to- hell, we even have you doing it in public. Right, Skeppy?" Techno asked.

"Yeah," Skeppy nodded, still shaken, looking back to Schlatt as he shifted into the man. "Tons of damning videos," he replied in the man's voice. Schlatt froze, frown set firmly as he bit his cheek. 

"Why didn't you-," he began cooly. "Why didn't you tell me you had powers?" he asked, voice shifting to one of joy. He collapsed back in his chair, a loose grin on his face. "This is great!"

"What?" Techno murmured, unclenching his fists as he stared at the man with confusion. Schlatt rested his feet on the desk once more, reaching over and grabbing his gun. Techno tensed up and took a step in front of his team once more. Schlatt noticed his wariness and laughed, holding up his hands and the gun. 

"Nah, I'm not gonna shoot you-," he surrendered, a small smile on his face. "It didn't work the first time!" he laughed loudly, tossing the weapon away as if it were a toy. 

"What?" Techno repeated. Schlatt pushed himself up once again and strolled in front of his desk, leaning on it. 

"Let's try introductions again, how about that? Hello, I'm Jschlatt or Schlatt- that's what my friends call me- the owner of Schlatt industries," he held out his hand, and Techno only now noticed the white glove that complimented his black business suit. He didn't take it. 

"Techno," Techno greeted warily; he glanced back at Tommy, who spun a finger around his head in a spiral.

"He's gone insane," Tommy whispered loudly, and Schlatt laughed once more. 

"No," Schlatt shook his head, "No, not me. You just left out the important detail that you're gifted! You've got powers!" 

"So, you're scared of us?" Wilbur asked curiously. Schlatt glanced at him, amusement evident in his eyes. 

"Oh no, not at all," Schlatt waved him off dismissively. 

"Then why are you acting so differently towards us now?" Philza asked. Techno nodded along in agreement with the question.

"We're family! Not biologically, but the point still stands," Schlatt explained, and after noticing the look of confusion on all five of their faces, he sighed. "A long time ago, there was a big village-."

"The village!" Tommy chirped excitedly, looking at Schlatt with a grin. "We went there!"

"Ah-ha!" Schlatt cheered. "I knew you were one of us! I am so sorry about earlier. God, I wish I'd have known!" Schlatt smacked his head before standing up and walking over to his desk. "I almost forgot about your pay."

"You weren't going to pay us," Skeppy murmured in confusion. Schlatt looked at him blankly. 

"No, no, I was."

"No, you weren't," Skeppy argued back as Schlatt pulled out a check. He shook his head. 

"That was the old me," he explained, scribbling down information on it before looking up. "I treat my family kindly," Schlatt hummed, holding out the check for Techno. The pink-haired boy grabbed it and handed it back to Philza without taking his eyes off Schlatt. He only looked back when he heard a loud, choked gasp.

"That's a lot," Philza stammered out, showing Wilbur, who's eyes grew bigger.

"You're scamming us," Wilbur accused, and Schlatt quickly shook his head, holding up a hand. 

"No, I'm not. Scout's honor," he swore, but the doubt was still evident on their faces. "Come on, boys; you have to forgive me for my little outburst. When you get ripped off one too many times, it's hard to know who to trust," Schlatt explained, rubbing his temples with closed eyes. 

"You shot Techno; you expect us to believe you've changed your whole view on us because we've got abilities?" Philza asked, and Schlatt shook his head. 

"No, you're right. That was impulsive and dumb, but you learn to be weary in the crime business- hell, even in normal business. Someone's always trying to have the upper hand, so you have to work harder on keeping it," Schlatt explained, stepping back in front of his desk. "I can get you the money in cash if you don't trust the check."

"No," Techno stared Schlatt in his eyes. "Think of this as a test. If it’s real, you pass, and we'll keep the little blackmail thing to ourselves. If it's fake, I think you know the consequence."

"I like you," Schlatt commented, nodding with a smile that some would consider threatening while others would consider charming. "I have nothing to worry about then," he claimed as he walked forward to Techno. "Can you introduce the rest of your team?"

"They can introduce themselves," Techno muttered, looking back expectantly.

"I'm Tommy," Tommy waved.

"Wilbur," Wilbur greeted hesitantly. 

"Skeppy," the boy shifted back to his usual form.

"I'm Philza," Phil commented coolly, frowning slightly.

"Still some hostility towards me," Schlatt pointed out. "That's fine," he nodded, tapping his chin. "How about this, I want to get on your good sides. Do you boys like doing crime?"

"Yeah," Tommy nodded. "It's pretty fun." Schlatt grinned.

"Yeah, it is fun, huh? Have you boys ever robbed a bank before?"

"Too high security," Philza pointed out. "Besides, we never got a job like that before," he added. Wilbur nodded in agreement. 

"You don't do crime outside of jobs?" Schlatt asked in confusion, and Skeppy shrugged.

"We do, but Philza prefers to sit out most of the time until it's a requirement."

"Ah, the responsible one. Well, now you got a new job," Schlatt declared. "You're going to rob a bank for me tonight!"

"Really?" Tommy asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his heels. Schlatt's smile grew. 

"Yep! I'll have someone take care of security and surveillance, and all you have to do is take the money. I'll even let you keep whatever you steal-."

"What's the catch?" Wilbur asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing on Schlatt. Schlatt held up his hands defensively.

"Nope, no catch. Just have fun with it. I like to keep up my employee's- my family's morale. What do you boys say? I'd like to think one day you'd consider permanently working for me. We've got to look out for each other, after all," Schlatt offered, holding out a hand. Tommy looked around at his wary team's faces and decided to choose for them. Schlatt chuckled as Tommy took his hand, "Then it's a deal. We can talk out the details soon. First, you said you faced some interference tonight? Rival competitor or…?"

"Oh," Tommy blinked. "It's just our friends. They decided to be all holy and shit and try to stop us from doing crime." Schlatt tapped his chin with a straight face, nodding slowly. "They're like us."

"They've got powers too?" he asked. Wilbur nodded, rolling his eyes. 

"They're annoying as hell. Dream has his stupid clairvoyance, Sapnap's got his dogs, George has his teleportation, and Tubbo has his intelligence."

"And your powers?"

"Kinetic energy manipulation, wings, copies powers, copies people, and mind control," Wilbur explained, pointing between the group. Techno seemed hesitant to let Wilbur answer, but he didn't stop him. 

"That's really fucking cool," Schlatt grinned. "I'm so glad your generation made it out before the massacre, not many did." Schlatt's grin dropped, and he sighed. "Fucking hell."

"You know what happened?" Philza asked curiously. Schlatt nodded, running a hand through his hair as he looked to the blond.

"Yeah, I was there, but I barely managed to escape. Somehow we managed to sneak most of the kids out, but that stupid lab killed all of them-," Schlatt paused, blinking as he looked back at the clock. "Ah, that's a story for another time. You boys need rest anyway, long night, I assume. We have some dorm rooms on floor fourteen if you want to rest until we can talk details about tonight's plans. Just tell the lady at the desk that Schlatt sent you, code one-one-five," Schlatt explained as he moved to the door.

"Oh, no, that's okay. We'll just go home and come back-."

"Nonsense," Schlatt huffed. "Uh- Rick, Michael, escort these boys down to Janet?" he sounded unsure of names. Still, the two guards beside the door walked out the door and gestured to the five to follow. "Bye-bye."

"I liked him," Tommy admitted in an attempt to whisper as Techno sighed, pushing the blond out the door as they walked. 

"Of course you do."

.

"Tubbo, you really need to get some sleep," Dream warned as he looked down at the boy, who was seated on the floor with papers scattered around him. A laptop sat in front of him, Fundy on the other side of the screen. A small container sat on the other side with blue liquid inside.

"I can't- not yet," Tubbo replied, rubbing his eyes roughly as he scribbled down something else. "Right, Fundy?"

"Right. Dream stop trying to be reasonable," Fundy demanded. "I haven't slept in days. I can't sleep when I'm missing your loving embrace- uh- babe."

"Hey," Sapnap huffed from where he laid on one of the beds. "He's mine."

"We all know he loves me most," George pointed out tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"It doesn't count because you don't love him back," Sapnap countered, holding up his fingers in an L shape. George threw his pillow at Sapnap's head.

"Eight fifty," Tubbo answered, looking at the little corner on the screen. "You've been asleep for about four hours- maybe three." George hummed.

"I'm fucking sore," Sapnap groaned as he grabbed at his bruised face. "The shipping container did more damage than they did."

"Language," Bad mumbled from beneath the bedding. Dream huffed in amusement and looked back to Tubbo and Fundy.

"It's not drugs," Fundy murmured tiredly. "I don't know any drugs that are that dense and that color. It looks like- metallic almost?" Tubbo hummed in response, swirling the liquid around, watching it. 

"So, it's a combination of chemicals," Tubbo offered, and Fundy nodded. 

"Has to be, what though?" Fundy quickly began typing, eyes scanning another computer screen with a frown.

"Porter potties have blue liquids," Sapnap suggested. Tubbo grinned sleepily, nodding.

"That's a lead!" Fundy cheered. "I lied; that's because of the dyes in the cleaner." Bad pushed himself up, dragging the comforter along, and stumbled over to Tubbo's side, sitting next to him. He wrapped the boy in the comfy bedding, huddling close as he peeked over at Tubbo's notes. 

"How do you know it's flammable?" he asked. Tubbo yawned and shrugged.

"Forgot how we found it out," he muttered, leaning into Bad and resting his head on his shoulder. He was distinctly aware of how Sapnap had moved silently to close the blinds more, and how Dream turned down the brightness on the laptop.

"We did a flammability test while you all were asleep," Fundy explained, looking back to the screen to see the current situation. "Ah," he nodded, muting himself with a grin. "Got you," he mouthed, and Dream gave him a thumbs up. 

Tubbo frowned, peeking his eyes open and looking at Dream. "I don't want to sleep," he complained but didn't make any effort to move. Dream merely nodded.

"Yeah, I know."

"You guys suck," he muttered, relaxing as fingers scratched at his head. 

"Yeah," Dream repeated. "I know. G'night." Tubbo didn't reply.

.

"How'd your rest go, boys?" Schlatt asked as the five wandered into the room. "Were our luxury suites good enough? We keep those for the important guests," he explained, stacking a pile of papers on his desk and pushing them aside.

"They were nice," Philza nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Schlatt-."

"No," Schlatt shook his head. "Not Mr. Schlatt, Philza, that's so formal- too formal. It makes me feel old." 

"Ah, alright," Philza grinned. "You called us here for a reason, I assume?"

"Yep," Schlatt hummed. "We need to discuss the job tonight," he explained, looking past the boys to the guards. The two closed the door with a loud thud, making Skeppy jump. "Yeah, they're pretty loud. It creates a tense atmosphere, but sometimes it just gets annoying. Now, come take a seat."

Tommy hurried forward and sat on the large black couch, lounging across it. Wilbur sat on his legs, making Tommy protest as he tried to pull his feet free. "You're heavy," Tommy whined, and Wilbur grinned.

"Then, don't take the whole fucking seat."

"Fine," Tommy whined, shifting over to give room once Wilbur moved. Skeppy took a seat next to him, and Philza and Techno stood beside the two.

Schlatt grabbed his desk's seat and rolled himself in front of the group, slowly spinning to a stop. 

"You've gotta let me spin on your chair," Tommy pleaded. Schlatt smirked and shrugged.

"I'd need parent permission first, but sure," he agreed. Tommy looked at Philza expectantly, who sighed and nodded.

"Me too?" Skeppy asked; Philza continued nodding. 

"And me?" Wilbur joined it. Philza gave the brunet a strange stare before nodding slowly.

"Sure, anyone else?" he asked, looking at Techno expectantly. Techno stared back but looked away nervously a second later. "You're kidding- yes, Techno. You too," Philza laughed, looking at Schlatt. "Thanks."

"No problem," Schlatt hummed, an amused grin on his face. "Marium Bank. I'll have the cameras down and alarms off by two a.m, and the front doors are unlocked, but whether you use them or break-in is your choice," Schlatt explained. Tommy clapped excitedly.

"Through the window?" Schlatt nodded.

"Sure," he agreed, "sounds flashy. This whole job is yours to run; I'm just providing the chance."

"What's in it for you?" Techno asked, gaining the suited man's attention. "We get to keep the money, right?"

"Sure do," he nodded. 

"Then what're you getting from this?" Techno asked. "We get the fun, we get the protection, and we get the money-."

"I see your point," Schlatt nodded, rubbing his chin. "You're suspicious because I get nothing out of this, right? I guess you can see it like that, but I think I'm getting the most out of this deal."

"How so?" Wilbur asked, tilting his head with a curious gaze.

"Strengthening relations, building trust, besides, I get to evaluate how good you guys are," Schlatt explained. "I shouldn't give hints, but you best put on a good show, boys," Schlatt chirped, clapping his hands together. The five nodded wordlessly, and Schlatt stood up, his chair pushed out from beneath him.

"I need to go talk to some of my team to get this robbery set up," he explained as he walked to the door. "Feel free to take the chair for a spin while I'm gone. There'll be a van for you out front at one-thirty; earpieces will be in the cup holder. Be sure to use them," he called, swinging the door open and gesturing one of the guards to follow him. "See you soon!"

The second the door closed, the five sat there in silence, looking at each other in confusion. Tommy seemed to have enough of waiting for nothing, so he shot forward, shoving Skeppy out of the way. Skeppy was quick to respond though, tackling Tommy to the ground as the two fought for the chair. Wilbur quickly tried to take the seat while the two were distracted wrestling, but Techno pulled it out of his way before he could. 

"Get to pushing, peasants," he demanded, sitting in the chair with a triumphant grin. Tommy and Skeppy looked up, their faces mirroring Wilbur's annoyed one. 

"Philza!" Tommy complained. "It was my turn!"

"No, no, no," Philza shook his head, pointing at Tommy accusingly. "Don't you dare drag me into this. Take turns like mature kids."

"You suck," Tommy groaned. "I call shotgun."

"You can't call shotgun; it's one seat," Wilbur pointed out. 

"I call next!" Skeppy quickly shouted before Tommy could. Tommy smacked him on the head, shoving him off as he stood up. 

"We've gotta push this asshole around first," he complained, sticking his tongue out at Techno's cocky grin. Techno mirrored the action.

"Get to work, plebeians," Techno demanded, resting his head back on his hands. 

"Fuck you!" Skeppy laughed.  
.

"We're getting lucky with finding them," George pointed out as they stared up at the bank. They concluded it was Techno's team based on the shattered window and the fact that the five could hear Tommy's distant laughing.

"Or unlucky," Sapnap groaned. "No shipping containers here, at least." Bad grinned at him, patting his back reassuringly.

"Just don't go chasing after vans by yourself," he chirped. "Buddy didn't seem too happy to have to run that fast."

"Next time, I'll use Friend or Pal," he grinned at the dogs, who stared up at him. "Ready to go in?"

"Quietly," Dream warned. "We need to have the upper hand. Bad, can you scope out the building, get an idea of where they are?"

"Sure," Bad nodded, stepping forward into the shadows and disappearing into the darkness. Tubbo reached to his ear, grabbing the black and yellow striped device. It was almost like a single-sided headphone, but two antennas were sticking up from the top. He pulled one of the antennas in front of his mouth. 

"Mics on?" he murmured, and Dream nodded, tapping his ear and giving him a thumbs up. Tubbo grinned, returning the thumbs up. Bad returned a moment later, popping up behind George, who jumped in alarm.

"They're in the backroom," Bad explained, pointing at the back door. Dream waved for his team to follow as he effortlessly jumped through the shattered window, not making a noise.

"He always expects us to be as perfect as he is," Sapnap hissed to George. "Show off." Dream smiled beneath his mask, not looking back as he soundlessly rushed across the room. He peeked into the door, spotting Techno talking to Tommy.

"You need to be looser in swinging your arm; you're too tense."

"Aren't I supposed to be tense with your power?"

"Sure," Techno shrugged. "But not a-," Techno swung a leg out, almost tripping Tommy, who reacted quick enough to jump and avoid it.

"I'm getting better at that, right, Big T?" Tommy grinned. Techno huffed in amusement, nodding as he ruffled the boy's hair. 

"Sure, but you should've taken that hit. It would've been more beneficial."

Dream looked back at his team, nodding to them. George reached out a hand, which Dream took gratefully. "BBH, go in and grab on to Wi- uh- the one in the trench coat. After he goes down, focus on the shifter."

"Got it," Bad whispered. 

"Then, George, you go in immediately after and get a hit on him. Don't touch his skin, aim for clothes. Sapnap, you send in Pal, Friend, and Buddy on Big T. It seems the most effective, and Tubbo, I need you to distract the wings duo- or at least one of them."

"Okay," Tubbo grinned. "I can do that."

"On the count of three, one, two, go." Bad disappeared, and immediately after, George blinked out of his spot. 

"What the fu- agh!" Wilbur groaned as George threw a kick into his stomach, causing him to keel over and topple onto the ground. Bad quickly jumped out and turned to attack the shapeshifter but found himself staring at Dream.

"What're you doing?" Dream hissed, pointing to the left. "You're supposed to go after him!" BBH looked to where he was pointing, but no one was there. He looked back just as Dream threw a punch, causing him to stumble to the side. "Got you," Dream hummed, and BBH frowned, throwing a fist back at the fake. The copycat caught it, but BBH managed to escape by disappearing into the shadow beneath them. Bad reappeared behind him and tackled him to the ground. He pulled his fist back to punch him but hesitated as he stared into Tubbo's eyes. "You're too easy," Tubbo chirped, tossing Bad off of him. Bad huffed, annoyance flashing in his eyes. 

Fine. Bad'll play dirty too. Bad disappeared into the darkness, then reappeared behind the fake, who was too slow in turning to avoid the punch. Before he could recover, Bad faded and reappeared again; this time swinging a kick to his stomach. The boy groaned, spinning around as he tried to spot where Bad was coming next, but he was always in his blind spot. 

By the time Skeppy managed to get a hit on the shadow, he was aching in seventeen different places. He clutched his side, breathing harshly as a small woosh resonated behind him. He spun around on his heel, kicking his leg out and finally hitting his target. The dark figure stumbled back, clutching his upper chest with a wince, though Skeppy couldn't exactly tell. He didn't even know he could kick that high. "Don't wanna talk this out?" 

Bad glared at him, holding his chest tightly as he shook his head. He didn't talk on missions, stealth was his thing, so it seemed to fit his branding. Besides, he didn't want to get buddy-buddy with a bad guy. BBH moved to step back into another shadow, but the copycat quickly grabbed his arm and yanked him forward before he could. 

"I don't think so," Skeppy grunted, yanking the other forward and into himself. The two stumbled back, rolling on the tile floor, causing Skeppy to bang his head. He hissed in pain and glared up at the shadow. "You're annoying." He didn't like that, or at least, that's what Skeppy assumed based on him having to dodge the fist of the boy above him. Skeppy grabbed his hand and yanked him down once more, headbutting the boy, who quickly pulled away and held his head. 

"Stop running!" the boy huffed in annoyance, looking around as BBH slipped back into a shadow. Bad didn't like him, he concluded. He was annoying and rude and a criminal, so despite the pain in his head, he jumped back out and tripped the copycat, who was oddly enough, still Tubbo. He wanted to yell at him to change but bit his lip instead. He had a fight to win. 

George jumped out of the way of Techno's fist, watching Philza rush to Wilbur's side to help him up. A sharp whistle filled his ears, and three barking dogs quickly bombarded Techno, allowing George to slip back. He looked over to Sapnap, giving him a thumbs-up, but felt a sharp pain in his back.

"Karate chop, bitch!" Tommy shouted behind him. George quickly teleported beside Sapnap, looking back to where he had previously been to see Tommy smiling proudly.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much did that hurt?" he asked, jabbing his hand in the air to replicate his previous attack, and George tilted his head in confusion.

"Uh, zero," George lied. 

"Liar. Big T, it worked. You said it wouldn't, but it did," Tommy called to Techno. Techno tossed a dog off of him and into Sapnap, narrowly avoiding being bit.

"Okay," Techno called. "Sure, now come help me."

"Okay- oi! Tu- dude, back off," Tommy demanded as Tubbo flew around him. 

"No, I don't think I will," Tubbo replied cooly, dropping on top of Tommy's shoulders. He grabbed his hair and tugged it, making Tommy yelp in surprise and move to get him off. 

"Big P," he called, catching Philza's attention. "Get him off!" Philza flew over and threw a punch at Tubbo, which he leaned back to avoid. Unfortunately, the shift in weight caused both him and Tommy to topple over. Philza quickly offered Tommy a hand up, which the boy took quickly, causing a pair of wings to appear. "Stop being a bitch boy, dude."

"No," Tubbo grunted, rolling back and onto his feet. He hurried into the air, and as expected, Tommy followed him. "Do you know how to do those cool swoops that Big P does?" he asked as he avoided Tommy's fist. Tommy shrugged.

"I'm learning," he quickly ducked. "If you joined our side, you could too."

"Not a chance," Tubbo admitted. "I like the Dream Team; they're family." Tommy quickly swooped out of the way of Tubbo's kick. "You could join us."

"The Dream Team? That's self-centered. I don't want to join a self-centered family," Tommy hissed as Tubbo managed to scratch his cheek. "Ow."

"Sorry."

"No, you're not," Tommy interjected. "We're enemies. You can't be sorry." Tubbo blinked and nodded in agreement, shaking out his hand as he flew back to avoid Tommy's attacks.

"Yes, I am not sorry," he repeated robotically, grinning as the two froze for a minute, stifling laughter. "Sorry."

"You're so stupid," Tommy nodded. He quickly threw a kick, knocking Tubbo into a wall. "Big T's rule one of battle: don't let your guard down. Actually, rule one is to win, but I ignore that one because it's a given."

"Of course," Tubbo groaned as he pushed himself off the wall. "Dream's first rule is that our safety is the biggest concern; if we need to retreat, then we can."

"You better start retreating then, bitch!" Tommy shouted, flying at Tubbo, who swerved to the left. Tommy yelped as he collided into the wall, rubbing his head. "Philza's really gotta teach me more shit," he hissed, looking over to Tubbo, who was taunting him. "Big mistake, dude," Tommy launched at Tubbo once more.

Dream got Techno's attention. Not that it was a difficult task. All he had to do was shout names and get Sapnap to call his dogs back. Techno huffed, tilting his head as he stared at Dream. "You really like risking your life, huh?"

"You won't kill me," Dream cooed. Techno chuckled, cracking his knuckles as his eyes narrowed on Dream.

"Don't doubt me," he hummed in a low voice that others would consider threatening. Dream heard it as playful, but whether that's because he's insane or because he knows better is hard to tell. Dream merely pulled off his hoodie to reveal a matching green shirt underneath and ushered Techno to attack in response, watching the king grin. 

Dream knew what he was doing. He needed to tire Techno out; the king was the biggest threat. So, when Techno threw a fist and Dream didn't dodge, it was a sacrifice for the sake of the greater good. However, it didn't go exactly to plan. Dream was hoping to graze Techno's hand or face. Any skin contact would do, even to have him hit skin would be great. Techno just so happened to be aiming higher than he thought, though. He heard the crack before he saw it. 

The right corner of Dream's mask crumbled away, leaving him staring at Techno with wide, shocked eyes. "Hallo," Techno hummed, dropping and kicking his leg out to knock the stunned, green-eyed boy down. Dream managed to jump out of the way at the last moment, but Techno analyzed his fighting style. He'd jump then move to the left. Techno rolled to the left as Dream moved and shot up, slamming his fist into Dream's exposed eye and watching him reel back in pain or due to the force in his punch. Either way, he moved. "You're getting rustier, and it's only been a day."

Dream clutched his aching eye, cursing slightly at the pounding in his head. His vision was blurry in that eye, which was definitely an impairment, but not one Dream couldn't handle. He staggered back a few more steps, laughing slightly at Techno. "Nah," he shook his head. "Still didn't kill me."

"Don't want to give up now?" Techno asked, tilting his head as he shook out his hand. That was a hard punch, even for him. Dream merely shook his head, tapping the side of it with his index finger. 

"We're just getting started," he said, his right eye squinted, either due to his grin or the swelling that had already begun to take place. "Besides, you broke my mask. I'm pissed."

"Good," Techno laughed. "That makes this fun."

Philza watched Tommy and Tubbo tumbling in the air, feeling slight relief at the sight of them laughing among each other. It was hard to tell what they were laughing at, but at least they were. "Big P!" Wilbur called behind him, causing him to spin around in alarm. "Get Pal off of me."

"Aw, you know her name," Sapnap cooed, "that's sweet. Don't bite anywhere vital, Pal."

"Ow, shit- P!" Wilbur called as the dog bit onto his arm. Phil flew over, grabbing the dog by the back of its neck and prying its mouth off. Wilbur quickly pulled his bloody arm out and moved out of the way of the other dogs that chased after him. Philza took off after him, and on instinct, Wilbur reached up and grabbed his wrist, pulling him off the ground. 

"We've got to do something about the beasts," Philza muttered, a sudden weight dragging Wilbur down. "Get off!" he called down to George, who hung from Wilbur's ankles. 

"No," George called back as Wilbur struggled to kick him off. Philza huffed in annoyance and glared down at the boy. 

"Fucking damn it, I don't have time for this." He swung Wilbur back and forth until he had enough momentum to slam the boy below into a wall, but George had teleported away before he could make impact. "Scale of one to ten, how's your arm?"

"Fucking hurts," Wilbur hissed, looking back at Sapnap, who had a shit-eating grin on his face. The dogs tried to jump up to bite onto Wilbur's foot, and one of them had managed for a moment, but Philza flew higher, causing the Doberman to let go. "God damn it," Wilbur groaned in pain. "What's the point in shoes if teeth can pierce through anyway?"

"They aren't supposed to be protection from teeth," Philza explained with a nervous laugh. "Hang on, I'll figure out a way to get you out of this."

"Just- fucking code thirty."

"The thirty's are Little T's codes. Yours are between thirteen and twenty-nine. Which one are you thinking."

"How do you remember all of those?" Wilbur complained, but Philza just laughed, jostling Wilbur a little.

"I don't know," Philza confessed. 

"Just- let's go with the drop attack-."

"Code twenty?" Philza looked at Wilbur with an uncertain expression. "You sure? It doesn't usually work well."

"Let me finish, I have a new plan, but you've gotta grab my feet, though," Wilbur explained, grinning at the weird look Philza gave him. Nonetheless, he was eventually positioned in Philza's arms like a child. His arms gripped Phil's shirt while Phil tightened his grip around his legs. 

"You sure this is gonna work?" Philza asked in a quieter tone, looking down at Sapnap and George, who stared back with confused amusement. 

"I can try," Wilbur shrugged. "Ready?" Philza nodded above him, and with one big swoop, Philza dropped in altitude. Sapnap and George were quick to duck out of the way of Philza's reach, but Wilbur managed to drop to a dangle just in time to slap Sapnap's hand. 

"What the hell?" Sapnap hissed, rubbing his hand as Wilbur bent up and grinned back at him.

"Got you, asshole!" he cheered, his arms shooting out in success. "Shit- who was that?" he quickly asked after his hand hit yet another person with his cheer. He spotted Dream, clutching his eye as he jumped out of Techno's way. He made eye contact with Wilbur for a moment as his arm fell limply to his side. He knew. Wilbur laughed loudly, cheering as he looked up to Phil. "I got 'em!" he shouted excitedly. The whole room seemed to freeze.

"You hit us once!" Sapnap complained, his hands cupped around his mouth. Tommy laughed, a giddy, excited laugh. 

"You got him?" he asked, and Sapnap's face morphed into one of confusion. 

"Once!" he argued back. Tommy and Wilbur ignored him; Wilbur nodded excitedly.

"Oh, Little T. I got two-."

"You can only control one of us!" Dream argued quickly, and Wilbur's grin only grew devilishly wide.

"I've been practicing," he cooed before realizing he was still dangling. "You can set me down, P. I'll be fine," he hummed. "Right, Sapnap? Call off your dogs." There was a sharp whistle, and the three dogs halted their sprint towards Philza and Wilbur. "Great!" he winced as he stepped on his wounded foot. "Dream, Sapnap," Wilbur looked to George with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Get George, fight anyone who interferes."

"What the hell?" George cried out as teleported away from Sapnap's fist. Tommy laughed from somewhere above Wilbur, and Skeppy cheered as BBH retreated to help George. 

"Big S, Little T, come here!" Techno called as he hurried over to Wilbur's and Philza's side. Tubbo had already flown over in an attempt to help George as well, so getaway was sure to be easy. The two hurried over and huddled into their group, a matching grin on both of their faces. 

"I didn't think we were gonna win for a second there," Philza admitted with a sigh of relief. "Good job, W," he complimented, rubbing the taller boy's head with a nod. 

"Thanks, P." Wilbur had a pleasant smile plastered on his face. He looked over to Techno for further instructions, but the pink-haired boy was already whispering in a hushed voice to Tommy and Skeppy, which, based on their faces, was something they liked. 

"On it, big man!" Tommy saluted, grabbing Skeppy's arm and yanking him along. Skeppy mimicked Tommy's salute before turning on his heel and stumbling out the door with Tommy.

"What'd you tell them to do?" Wilbur asked as Philza wrapped an arm under him to release the pressure on his foot. Truthfully, the injury wasn't horrid, but it didn't tickle, and Wilbur appreciated the help. Techno's eyes glinted in amusement, and he shrugged, looking back over to Tubbo, who was having trouble restraining Sapnap from punching George. Sapnap's dogs remained dormant, sitting and watching Wilbur with what he could only assume was hatred. 

"We'll see soon," Techno hummed. "Are you doing okay, Wil?" he asked quieter, noticing the bloodied coat and pants. 

"Stopped bleeding," Wilbur hummed. "Hurt worse when you said my last song sucked."

"I never said that!" Techno accused, and Wilbur grinned. "I said it sounded nice."

"It felt like you insulted me," Wilbur argued back, and Techno threw his hands up in defeat. Wilbur rolled his eyes with a lopsided grin and gave him a thumbs up. "I'm alright, Big T. Thanks. Should probably clean up later, a dog bite may get infected-."

"BBH!" George interrupted, catching the three's attention. They looked back to see Dream smoothly evading every attempt he made to grab him. George teleported behind Philza, watching as Dream's and Sapnap's eyes scanned the room before landing on him. Phil shoved him away. 

"Don't hide behind me!" Bad wrapped his arms around Dream's waist in an attempt to hold him there, but the hooded boy had other plans. He grabbed Bad's arms and quickly lurched himself forward, almost touching his feet as he threw the other boy over his body and into a wall. Dream vaulted over the few other obstacles in his way, and George screamed in terror before once again teleporting away. 

"Over there," Wilbur pointed, a small smile on his face. Techno looked at him warily, tilting his head as Dream took off once more towards the panicked boy.

"You sure Dream won't kill him?"

"Yep," Wilbur nodded. "Don't kill George, just beat him up!" he called, then looked to Techno once more. "Now, they won't, at least." Techno laughed and nodded, but the sound of a horn caught everyone but Sapnap's and Dream's attention. 

"That's our cue," Techno called, scooping up Wilbur and hurrying towards the hallway Skeppy and Tommy had run out of before. Philza raced after, waving bye to Tubbo, George, and Bad before, too, disappearing around the corner. 

"Wait-!" Tubbo shouted, but they were gone. His attention was back on George as his friend hissed in pain. 

"Guys-." Bad quickly went to his side, pulling Sapnap off of him and grabbing Dream's fist before he could punch him again. Tubbo flew over quickly to help, grabbing a better hold on Sapnap, who thrashed violently in his grip. 

"When does this stop?" Tubbo grunted. Sapnap kicking at his ankle was getting annoying. The idea of losing another fight set a pit in Tubbo's stomach, but he ignored the disappointment as Sapnap was currently stomping on his foot. "That hurts, stop," Tubbo whined, his grip tightening. To his surprise, it worked.

"Huh?" Sapnap paused, moving his foot quickly. "Tubbo? Oh, fuck, I'm sorry."

"Are you back?" Tubbo asked, looking over to Dream, who had a confused expression on his face. 

"Yeah, what happened?" Dream asked, and Tubbo and Bad stumbled back with a relieved sigh; Tubbo didn't take a second to rest though. Instead, he turned on his heel and rushed in the direction the other four had left. He heard the others shout his name in confusion, but he ignored them.

He slowed to a stop at the entrance of the bank, spotting Philza shoving Tommy over into the passenger seat as he climbed into the van. Tommy spotted Tubbo in the process, and his grin grew wide. He rolled down the window on his side and pulled out his body halfway, arms resting on the top of the van. "Bye!" he shouted, waving erratically at Tubbo. "It was fun! See you tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Dream asked as he rounded the corner. 

"Yeah," Tubbo huffed, watching the black van escape down the road. "Tomorrow," he looked back, seeing Bad talking to George and Sapnap. "We've got a picnic planned," he whispered low, and Dream sighed.

"Right." Tubbo rubbed his eyes, cracking his neck as he groaned.

"They did a number on us tonight," Sapnap pointed out as he walked over. "Sorry about your foot, Tubbo," he patted the boy's shoulder, and Tubbo merely smiled.

"It's okay. Do you think Fundy's done with the tests yet?" he asked, fishing out his phone from his backpack, and Dream shrugged. Tubbo turned it on, lighting up at the text notifications that popped up on his screen, reading that they were sent sixteen minutes ago. Though, his excitement dropped immediately at what he read.

"What?" Dream asked, frowning at Tubbo's expression.

"He says to call him," he muttered, quickly holding his phone up to his ear. "Sounded pretty important- hey, Fundy. Are you okay? And Niki and Eret?"

"We're fine," Fundy quickly explained, causing Tubbo to sigh in relief and hold a thumbs up to Dream. The others had gathered around now, listening intently.

"So, then, what's so urgent?" Tubbo asked, feeling a little more at ease. Fundy laughed nervously, and Tubbo could hear faint typing in the background.

"Well," he muttered. "I ran a test, trying to match all of the info we have to, well, anything really." Tubbo lit up again, clutching the phone and putting it on speaker.

"Did you find something?" Tubbo looked at Dream, who was staring at the phone with a frown. He didn't seem as excited as Tubbo was, but Tubbo and Fundy had managed to find the identity of a secret substance without even interacting with one another. That was cool, or at least Tubbo thought so. 

"No," Tubbo's smile faltered. "I found a lot of things." 

"That's good! We know what it is, right?" Tubbo looked to Bad for assurance, but his eyes were on the phone, a frown evident on his face. Tubbo considered this to be good news, but based on the others’ reactions, they disagreed. He didn't get why though. When they knew what Tommy's team had, they could confront them. Their team could stop them, and then they'd try to get back their friends. 

"It's- I'm sorry, Tubbo. It's not good," Fundy sighed, Tubbo wasn't there, but he could tell he was pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"What is it?" Tubbo asked quietly, his stomach dropping. 

"It's a mix of multiple different chemicals, used to modify the main one. The main chemical is PETN, Tubbo."

"That- no," Tubbo shook his head. 

"What's PETN?" Sapnap asked, tilting his head as he looked to Tubbo, whose face seemed to grow whiter by the second. He looked up to Sapnap.

"It's," Tubbo paused, looking back to his screen. "Why're they making a bomb?"

.

"Welcome back, boys!" Schlatt greeted as Philza pulled to a stop. "Get what you wanted?"

"Yes, sir," Philza grinned, parking and jumping out. "Thank you for the opportunity."

"Nah," Schlatt hummed, watching the five file out. "You did good! I watched some of it," he explained as he gestured the boys to follow. "Someone'll take your money to the rooms you're in, don't worry."

"Where're we going?" Wilbur asked, looking back at the van with a confused frown. 

"I've got a medicine specialist," Schlatt explained. "A doctor, I suppose. They can look over your injuries while we discuss."

"Discuss?" Techno asked, tilting his head curiously. Schlatt grinned, clapping his hands excitedly. 

"I like you boys," he admitted, "and I have quite the proposition." Schlatt pushed open a door and waved at a boy in a suit sitting at a desk, typing away, unaware of his surroundings. "Hey, Jacobs."

"Oh, Mr. Schlatt," the boy spun around, looking at the five behind him. "You guys look rough," he laughed, turning his attention back to Schlatt. 

"That's why we're here," Schlatt smiled. "Mind helping them out while we chat?"

"Five is a lot," Jacobs muttered, tapping his chin before standing up and gesturing to his chair. "Who feels the worse?"

"Go, Wil," Philza demanded, pushing the brunet forward. Wilbur glared back at Phil but stumbled over to the chair anyway.

"Jacobs here is pretty good at healing," Schlatt explained, gesturing to the boy who dug through his desk for bandages and a pen. Wilbur pulled up his sleeves as Jacobs wrapped the white bandage around his arm before drawing a little symbol on it. 

"Anywhere else?" he asked, and Wilbur pulled off his shoe with a small grunt. "This one's still bleeding," he pointed out as he wrapped the bandage over the sock.

"Shouldn't you disinfect it?" Skeppy pointed out, but the medic just grinned. 

"It's fine," he hummed, repeating the same symbol. He looked down at his hands, which had the matching drawings on the palm, but its ink was fading. He clapped them together, muttering words under his breath too quickly to even understand. Wilbur's face contorted into one of confusion, and Jacobs yawned loudly, covering his mouth with his hand. He wandered over to a coffee machine in the corner, which was half full, and poured some into a cup before downing it. "Was that good?" he asked Schlatt, who looked at Wilbur expectantly.

Wilbur pulled off his bandages and looked at Jacobs with furrowed brows. "How'd you do that?" 

"Magic," Jacobs chuckled, looking at the others. "Nah, I'm joking. I transferred my energy into specified places to speed up healing in those areas." Schlatt grinned.

"There's more with abilities?" Tommy asked excitedly.

"Yep. Who else needs to see Doctor Jacobs?" Schlatt asked, looking around the group. Skeppy walked over and sat in the seat, grinning up at the brunet excitedly, who smiled back.

"So, Schlatt," Techno called, gaining his attention. "You said you wanted to discuss a proposition." Schlatt's smile grew wider.

"Of course! How could I forget? Boys, I want you to join the family. Work for me," Schlatt offered, and Tommy gaped.

"Everyone who works for you has an ability?" Tommy looked to Philza, who shrugged.

"Not everyone, but a lot, yes," Schlatt explained. "We've become quite a family, and I've been on a search for a while for trustworthy people to take care of my crime relations. I think you boys could do it," he offered, circling the group as he looked them over. 

"What's in it for us?" Techno asked warily. 

"I mean, it'd be a horrible decision not to take my offer," Schlatt sighed, waving Techno off. "Financed housing, food, protection from the law, fun jobs, plenty of breaks. Do you like your job, Jacobs?"

"Mhm," the boy hummed, walking back over to his coffee machine as Skeppy stood up. "Lots of break days!"

"That's true!" Schlatt pointed out. "You'll have plenty of freedom; I'd just need your help at some points. Hell, I don't even mind if you take other jobs, just as long as you know I'm your main employer."

"What do you think, Techno?" Philza asked from behind him. Techno looked at the blond, and he could instantly tell his opinion on the deal. He could tell by each of his teammate's faces.

"What would your conditions be?"

"Well," Schlatt hummed. "I'd need loyalty. Do other jobs, sure, but as I said, remember who your employer is. I need you to do jobs when I say; you can't pick or choose either. And- well, this is more of a me thing, but there's a common theme in my building."

Techno looked around, confusion on his face. "What?"

"We're professionals here, boys. We wear suits," Schlatt explained, and Techno frowned.

"Isn't that bad for fighting and moving around? Besides, we don't have suits." 

"Don't worry, I'll have a tailor see you, and they'll make it special for moving and all of your necessities," he explained, looking to Philza with a nod. "Those are my main requirements, so what do you boys say?"

Techno sighed, looking at his group. "You're our leader," Wilbur pointed out. 

"Come on! Choose, big man!" Tommy demanded. Techno turned back as Schlatt held out a gloved hand.

"I want a pink tie," he muttered as he took it, shaking it with a tight grip. Schlatt grinned.

"Glad to have you on the team."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: KARL JACOBS ISNT A MAIN CHARACTER DONT GET ATTACHED HES A CAMEO
> 
> Jschlatt on the other hand,, 
> 
> There wasn't much angst in this chapter,, I've retired angst. No more angst. This is a happy story with a happy ending, no angst here ever. See you kids next week where we continue happy times galore :)))
> 
> Uh this chapter took a while, but my own personal goal of writing almost a thousand words more (or at least more words than the last chapter) helped prolong it. But it's a long chapter so its okay. (maybe?) Also I'm incredibly lazy
> 
> Thank you for reading!! I hope you liked this chapter :)
> 
> Stay safe, I love you all, and have a glorious morning/afternoon/evening/night!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picnic time!

Tubbo kicked his legs as he sat on the cool concrete of the roof's ledge. He was staring helplessly at the ground below him, his phone resting beside him. "I don't know what to do," he admitted weakly, closing his eyes in defeat. "Tommy's making a bomb, Niki."

"I know," Niki murmured back, voice overflowing with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Tubbo."

"I just don't get it- why is he a bad guy?" Tubbo groaned, moving to lay on his side. 

"He's doesn't sound like a bad guy- maybe he's doing the wrong things, but that doesn't make him a bad person," Niki reasoned. Tubbo grabbed his phone with a confused expression and set it closer to his face.

"What do you mean? He's a criminal," Tubbo stated blankly; it was a basic fact now. Niki hummed, and there was a slight shuffling noise on her end. Tubbo stared at a cloud, which vaguely resembled an explosion. He felt ill.

"Well," Niki trailed off. "How do I explain this? Uh- you're Tommy's best friend, you know him best, right?"

"Yeah," Tubbo nodded, only slightly aware she couldn't see it. 

"Describe him for me- I know you have before, but do it again," Niki requested, and Tubbo tapped his chin in thought.

"Tommy's got blond hair, and he's really tall, and he's nice. He doesn't like others to know he's nice, but he is. Tommy's also funny and always manages to cheer me up when I'm sad. He's really loud, but he's also very- uh- kind of considerate, and he's kinda stupid too," Tubbo described, a small smile on his face as he recalled. He could practically see Niki's grin; she always enjoyed hearing about their friends.

"I guess the point I'm trying to make is, although he may be on the wrong team, he's still a good person. Who knows, this could all be one big misunderstanding," Niki offered, a small spark of hope rising in Tubbo's chest.

"A misunderstanding," he nodded once more, slowly as realization set in. "Yeah! That actually makes sense! Tommy isn't someone who would hurt innocent people or anything- nor would everyone else in my- uh, his family!" Niki didn't mention his slip up, whether that was because she didn't catch it or she didn't care to, Tubbo couldn't tell.

"See!" Niki cheered, clapping excitedly on her end as a result of Tubbo's revelation. "But," she paused in confusion. "What else would he use the bomb for?"

"Oh," Tubbo paused, tapping his chin in thought. "Tommy really likes destruction, so maybe something like that," he murmured. "Still, he wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone innocent," Tubbo sighed with relief. "So, maybe this is negotiable."

"That's the spirit!" Niki chirped, her excitement returning back and rubbing off on Tubbo. The boy pushed himself up with a small smile. 

"Thank you for talking to me, Niki," Tubbo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I feel better about the picnic now."

"No problem!" Niki hummed. "I'm happy you're happy!"

"You're too nice," Tubbo grinned, pulling on his backpack and grabbing his phone. "I should be getting back," he muttered to himself, but a sharp gasp from Niki told him he wasn't quiet enough.

"Tubbo, did you sneak out?" she taunted, but there was no scolding tone to her voice. Tubbo laughed.

"Maybe, who's to say?" he asked, pulling on a strap, causing two wings to emerge. 

"Hurry back before you freak Dream out," Niki warned. 

"Okay," Tubbo agreed, moving to press the red end call button.

"Hey, Tubbo-," his finger froze over the button, and he waited for Niki to finish her statement. "Promise you won't let them ruin your time with Tommy; you're friends. I'd hate for confusion and differing opinions to split that up."

"I promise," Tubbo swore, holding up his hand for extra measure. He heard her sigh in relief. "Bye, Niki. I'll call you tomorrow and tell you how it goes!" 

"Sounds great! Bye, bye, Tubbo!"

.

"Come on in, boys!" Schlatt called as Techno cracked the door open. The five walked inside. Tommy rubbed his eyes sleepily as the bright sun blinded him. "How was the suit fitting?"

"It was fine-," Philza began, but Skeppy groaned.

"Did you have to wake us up at six am-?" Skeppy murmured, but Philza whacked hard against his head, cutting his complaint short. He glared at Philza but quickly shrunk away at the other's look.

"Zip it if you still want to go to that picnic," Philza warned, and Skeppy merely nodded slowly. He knew that Philza probably wouldn't go through with the threat, but he didn't care to test it.

"Picnic?" Schlatt asked with a confused stare. "Got plans for today, huh?"

"Oh," Philza looked back to the man, nodding. "Skeppy had run into one of his old friends a couple of days ago, so they planned a picnic for our friend groups to- uh- meet each other."

"But the thing is, we already know each other." Tommy began, but Wilbur pinched his arm, hard. "Ow-."

"Only because Skeppy talks about his friend so much," Wilbur explained, ignoring Tommy's scrutinizing stare. Techno nodded in agreement, grabbing Tommy and pulling him out of Wilbur's grip. 

"So there's not much point in a meetup," he finished, looking down at Tommy with a nod. Tommy merely huffed and looked away, shrugging sharply. 

"Yeah, I guess not," Schlatt hummed, curiosity evident in his eyes as he watched the group. "Still, it'll be fun! You boys get to get out some!" Schlatt cheered, clapping his hands excitedly as he walked over. "Pick up a football, get some meat on those bones," he emphasized, shoving Tommy playfully. The blond laughed, his mood brightening as he grinned up at him. "What time are you meeting up with them?"

"At twelve," Skeppy replied, glancing up to the clock that hung above the door. "Oh, shit-."

"Huh, what a coincidence! It's twelve right now!" Schlatt pointed out, laughing at their panicked expressions. It wasn't exactly twelve, eleven fifty-one to be exact, but the walk to the park was at least fifteen minutes. 

"We gotta go," Skeppy spun on his heel, looking at Philza worriedly. Philza nodded understandingly, holding his hands up as if to calm Skeppy. 

"I know," he nodded, looking past the boy to Schlatt, who had already begun back towards his desk in a casual stroll. "Schlatt, do you-?"

"Mind? Nah, get out of here. Go, have fun!" Schlatt waved them off, collapsing into his chair. "I need to chat with your seamstresses anyway, and I have a few other work things. Take a day off; you deserve it!" he ordered, and Philza nodded thankfully. 

"Okay," he agreed, nudging Skeppy towards the door. "Thanks, Schlatt," he smiled, waving as the five hurried out of the room. Schlatt watched them go, eyes swirling with interest. The door closed with a light click, and Schlatt felt his lip twitch up into a grin.

"No problem."

.

"You're too slow!" Tommy complained, yanking Wilbur's wrist in an attempt to will him to move faster. He didn't budge, continuing his stroll despite his family's rush.

"I don't want to go," Wilbur pointed out. Tommy huffed and looked to Philza expectantly, gesturing to the moody boy with exaggerated hand motions. 

"Wilbur," Philza huffed, but his smile betrayed his disappointed tone. "Come on, we're doing this for Skeppy and Tommy." Wilbur cocked his head, looking between the blond and brunet that stared at him.

"So?" he asked, laughing as Tommy smacked him. "It's got no benefit to me," he hummed. Techno groaned and gestured Tommy to move to the side, who did so happily. Techno looked at Wilbur with a tilted head, but the boy just raised a brow. "I'm not moving."

"Alright," he grunted, scooping the boy up bridal-style. "Comfy?" he asked as he began towards his friends. Wilbur shrugged.

"Your arms are boney, but I guess," Wilbur grinned, sticking his tongue out at the king. Techno huffed in amusement as the five continued towards the park, ignoring the plethora of stares they received on the way. 

They eventually made it to the park, albeit seven minutes later than they'd have liked. Skeppy surveyed the busy grass, shielding the sun with his hand. "See them?" Tommy asked, and Wilbur voiced a negative despite his lack of attempt in searching. He was too busy lounging in luxury.

"They found us," Philza called, directing Skeppy and Tommy's attention to where he had been pointing. Surely enough, Tubbo and Bad had been rushing over in the distance. Tommy and Skeppy ran to meet them at the halfway point, engulfing their friends in tight hugs upon arrival. 

"Huh," Wilbur murmured, lifting his head up momentarily. "So that's what he looks like when he isn't the literal absence of light." He dropped his head back down and sighed. "Let's go meet the family," he muttered as Techno and Philza began to follow the other two.

"Maybe it won't be that bad," Philza hoped as they neared the two. "Remember, we don't know them."

"Don't want to either," Wilbur pointed out. Philza scoffed and flicked him on the head as a warning. 

"Play nice, you two."

"I haven't said anything," Techno pointed out, but Philza didn't respond as he approached the other two, who were now surrounded by Tubbo, Bad, and their group.

"Oh, goodness!" Bad quickly yelped, looking at Wilbur worriedly. "Are you okay?" Skeppy glanced between the two before shaking his head with a smile.

"That's Wilbur, don't worry about him. He's just-."

"I can't walk," Wilbur explained, and there was a snort from somewhere in the group. "It was a tragic accident, happened when I was young. Right, Techno?"

"Yeah," Techno nodded. "Tragic. I shoved him down the stairs."

"Oh." Bad blinked, looking between the two. "Alright," he acknowledged briefly. "Nice to meet you; I'm Bad."

"Techno," Techno nodded. Philza rolled his eyes, struggling to contain his smile.

"I'm Philza, sorry about these two," he nodded, holding out a hand that Bad took happily. "Nice to meet you and your friends!"

"Ah, right," Tubbo nodded slowly, looking over to his family. "Friends, yes. Meet our- my friends. Dream, Sapnap, George, and Tubbo. I'm Tubbo," Tubbo greeted, looking to Tommy, who nodded in approval. Techno looked over the group, slightly amused at their bruised, pissed faces.

"Nice hair," Dream directed to Techno, who grinned.

"Nice eye," Techno taunted; his smile only grew as Dream frowned, subconsciously touching his bruised eye. Tubbo quickly took notice of the discourse and hurried in between the two. 

"Hey! Let's go back to our stuff before it gets stolen. We can chat more there," he offered, looking to Bad, Skeppy, and Tommy for support. 

"Yeah!" Bad chirped, grabbing Skeppy's hand and pulling him along. "Come on, Dream. You two can chat more while we eat."

"Sure," Dream grumbled, glaring at the three before spinning on his heel and following Bad. Sapnap stuck his tongue out at the group before slinging an arm over George's shoulder and hurrying to catch up to Dream.

Tubbo and Tommy looked to Wilbur and Techno, who shared a sour look on their faces. "This is going to be shitty," Tommy pointed out. Tubbo nodded slowly. 

"Very," Tubbo sighed, looking over at his friends. "At least we're not pissy," he smiled. Tommy laughed before turning towards his friends and pulling Tubbo over. Philza looked down at the boy with a smile.

"Hey, Tubbo," he greeted. Tubbo waved back, a matching grin on his face.

"Hello," he nodded. "It's nice to see you all again."

"Ditch 'em, Tubbo," Wilbur demanded, shifting to sit up in Techno's arms. "Join us, we have fun." Tubbo paused, blinking as he thought about the bomb, before shaking his head.

"No thanks. Dream and everyone are actually really cool," he explained as he looked over to where they sat. Dream was watching them with a frown.

"They don't like us very much, huh?" Techno asked, tilting his head as he watched Dream stand from where he sat and begin to make his way over. 

"No," Tubbo shook his head. "I guess not."

"Well, if he isn't going to fucking play nice, neither am I," Techno huffed, glancing at Philza, who sighed. 

"No, of course, you aren't," he muttered, nodding at Dream as he approached. Dream wrapped an arm around Tubbo's shoulder protectively, glaring at the four.

"We're waiting on you guys," he pointed out. Tubbo glanced up at his brother with a frown.

"Huh, that sucks," Wilbur chirped. Dream narrowed his eyes on Wilbur. 

"If it weren't for Bad and Tubbo-."

"What, are we not family? You don't want to keep tip-toeing around opposing beliefs?" Wilbur asked. Philza elbowed him hard, but when he went to complain to the blond, the boy was instead looking past Wilbur. Wilbur followed his gaze and frowned; Tommy glared at the ground, fists clenched. 

"Yeah," Dream muttered. "I guess you've made some decisions that changed my point of view." Tubbo huffed and ducked under his arm, hurrying to Tommy's side. 

"This is supposed to be a fun day," Tubbo muttered, glancing between Wilbur and Dream. "Can we please forget for an hour, maybe two?" he begged, but the request seemed to be more directed at Dream. 

Dream stared at Tubbo and Tommy for a minute before taking a step towards Philza, fishing in his hoodie for something. He pulled out a white paper, folded up into a small square, and handed it to the blond. "Read it later, after this," he muttered, then he turned around and gestured the group to follow him down to the picnic area. "It's funny," he paused, his voice quiet. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't know you: picnic or not."

The group was silent as they approached the picnic table, and Skeppy tilted his head in confusion. Philza just shook his, as to tell him it's nothing to worry about, before taking a seat next to Techno, who set Wilbur down first. Dream returned to his seat next to George, Sapnap, and Bad. 

"What'd you talk about?" Bad hummed, glancing over to where Dream sat. Dream shrugged, smiling at the boy sweetly.

"Just some random fucking shit, you know."

"Language!" Bad hissed, covering his ears and shaking his head.

"Oh, fucking shit? I love that topic, bested only by piss," Sapnap added, laughing as Bad glared at him.

"Skeppy, stop them," Bad whined. Skeppy glanced at the two, then to Bad. 

"Shame on you two," he hummed with an amused grin. "You're corrupting his innocent ears."

"Oh, so sorry," Sapnap huffed, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't want to taint this saint."

"Of course not," Skeppy agreed, nodding his head slowly. "That'd be fucking rude."

"Skeppy!" Bad shouted, causing the boy to devolve into a laughing fit. "You're supposed to be my friend!"

"Am I?" Skeppy asked, confusion evident in his voice. 

"Yes," Bad exclaimed, crossing his arms with a huff. 

"Right," Skeppy agreed. "And lover," he added before snickering at Tommy's startled noise. Dream looked at Bad with a tilted head and a wide grin.

"Wow, I didn't know you had a secret lover, Bad," he teased, watching the boy shake his head quickly.

"I don't!" he explained, looking back to Skeppy, who had a fake, hurt expression on his face.

"You don't love me?" Skeppy cried out dramatically, draping himself across Tommy. "That's so mean."

"What?" Bad looked startled, holding his hands up quickly in surrender. "No, I do love you, but-!"

"Aw," Skeppy cooed, picking himself up with a goofy smile. "Cute. I love you, too." Bad groaned in defeat and looked to Sapnap for help. The boy looked to Skeppy and smirked.

"Sucks for you, Bad's loyal to us. You aren't getting him," he sneered. Skeppy blinked at the sudden hostility, confusion flooding his face before frowning deeply.

"Bad's my best friend," he pointed out. "I'm pretty sure he's loyal to me." Skeppy didn't notice that he was gripping the wood of the picnic table tightly until Philza's hand rested on his reassuringly. Still, it did nothing to ease his distaste.

"Quite a friend to have left Bad in the woods-."

"Sapnap!" George gasped, and Bad frowned, looking at the boy next to him. Skeppy opened his mouth to retort but froze. He closed his mouth and sunk back down in his seat, the atmosphere once again tense. 

"It wasn't his fault," Bad defended, shaking his head. "Skeppy even told me he looked for me for a while. And I trust him, so stop fighting in my defense. We're all friends here," Bad smiled softly, looking back to his best friend.

"Maybe you trust too easily," Sapnap muttered bitterly, resting his cheek in his hand as he traced the wood. George elbowed him sharply, making him hiss in pain and glare at the brunet, who held a finger up to his lip.

"Maybe," Bad agreed softly. "But I've known Skeppy long enough to trust him; there's not a thing he could do that would make me hate him," Bad grinned, matching Skeppy's happy expression.

"Thanks, Bad," he hummed happily, glancing at Sapnap with a smug smile. The boy growled something under his breath, looking at Dream with angry eyes.

"I swear to God, I'm gonna tell him."

"Sapnap, don't you dare," Dream warned. Bad looked at the two with confusion, trying to meet Skeppy's panicked eyes, but he just watched the others' stare-off. 

"Tell who what?"

"Nothing, Bad," Skeppy quickly said, smiling at him reassuringly as he ripped his eyes away. "Hey, how about we go get some food from the food trucks?"

"Sure!" Bad nodded excited, pushing himself up. Skeppy hurried over to Philza's side, looking at him expectantly. Philza laughed and reached in his pocket, pulling out a wallet and handing it to the boy. 

"Get something for everyone," he requested, and Skeppy looked at the group with a widening grin. "Skeppy," Philza's tone changed to a wary one. "Something they'll actually eat this time."

"Tommy ate the fried pickle."

"Did he like it?" Philza asked, raising a brow. Skeppy slowly nodded while Tommy shook his head quickly. "He threw up!" Philza laughed in disbelief; he looked to Bad with a small smile. "Keep him in line?"

"Sure," Bad nodded happily. "Come on, Skeppy!" The boy grabbed Skeppy's wrist and pulled him off to the distant food trucks. Philza turned back and looked at Sapnap with a frown.

"Can you not ruin their fun? Their friends, we're doing this for them, chill on the personal grudges," he requested, but the tone sounded more like a threat. Sapnap scoffed, rolling his eyes and opening his mouth to object, but Tubbo was quicker.

"Did you know that each bee colony has its own distinct scent so that the bees can identify each other?" Phil and Sapnap looked to the brunet, who fidgeted nervously with his fingers. 

"No," Tommy announced as he shook his head. "I did not know that, Tubbo. Please, tell me more." Tubbo looked at the blond with a confused stare. 

"Really? You never want to hear bee facts- okay," Tubbo smiled, shifting so he was facing the group, who watched wordlessly. "So, did you know that bees have two stomachs?"

"So does Dream," Sapnap grinned, causing said boy to laugh and nod. 

"Sure I do," Dream hummed, looking back to Tubbo. "What else?"

"Bees can recognize human faces," Tubbo added, and Wilbur spoke up from beside Techno.

"Not impressive, so can I," he hummed. Philza laughed loudly beside him, and Tubbo could have sworn he saw George covering a snicker with a cough. Tubbo grinned; this was going better than he thought. Maybe there was still hope to rekindle their family. 

.

..

"Did we get another mission from Schlatt?" Skeppy asked as they walked down the street. Techno shook his head sharply, pulling up his mask and gesturing for the others to do the same. 

"Nope," Wilbur muttered as they walked into the abandoned warehouse. What a charming meet up point. "We were invited to a birthday party," he muttered as the five walked into the opening. There, a few feet in front of them, stood the Dream Team. "No dogs today?" Wilbur called out.

"No," Dream shook his head. "We aren't here to fight, we need to talk about your job." Techno noticed that he replaced his mask. 

"We don't want a scolding," Techno shrugged. "So if that's what you're trying to do, stop while you're ahead," he suggested as he spun around to walk away. 

"Techno," Dream hissed, causing the man to freeze. He spun back around sharply, slightly alarmed at the name. He noticed Bad, despite the lack of discernable features, was confused. 

"Fine," Techno sighed. "What?"

"I just need to know why you're making a bomb." A long silence followed. 

"What?" Philza managed to ask, adjusting the goggles on his head. "We're what?"

"Don't play dumb," George grumbled, leaning on one of the empty crates. 

"No, seriously. What the hell are you talking about?" Skeppy asked, a lost look plastered on his face. 

"The container you threw at Sapnap the other night," Dream explained, shoving his hands in his hoodie's pocket. "We had the liquid inside analyzed; it was PETN."

"I know what that is," Tommy began, slowly nodding as he glanced at his equally confused teammates. "But you should explain what it is to the people who don't know."

"PETN is an explosive compound," Tubbo summarized, looking nervously at Bad, who watched the group with uncertainty.

"We aren't making a bomb," Techno sighed, looking to Philza warily. "Our job is- was just to get the supplies wanted and deliver it to the highest bidder. We were very free-range; our only rule was don't look, don't care."

"You're speaking in the past tense," Dream pointed out, and Tommy nodded with a small smile.

"Yeah! We got a permanent job now," he cheered. "Our boss is super cool too."

"But your boss is making a bomb!" Tubbo cried out, catching Tommy's gaze.

"Well- I'm sure there's a reason for it," Tommy muttered, grin falling as he looked to Philza. "Right?"

"I, well, we can ask him," Phil offered. "He's really reasonable, and he seems to like us. Maybe we can reason with him?" Phil looked reassuringly at the Dream Team.

"And you trust him?" George asked. "How long have you even worked for him?"

"Our first job for him was the other night, at the port," Wilbur explained. "But he still seems to trust us more than you guys do," he added bitterly, looking away with annoyance.

"It's just that two or three days isn't enough time to trust someone you don't know," Tubbo complained, but Tommy shook his head, grinning excitedly.

"No, but that's the thing! We kinda do know him."

"What?" Dream muttered, leaning his head in confusion. "You said you met him a few days ago."

"We did, but you know the village we went to?" Tommy asked, looking over to Techno with a grin. The king was too busy watching Dream with a frown. "Well, he was one of the ones who escaped!"

"Wait- what?" Tubbo asked quickly. "Tommy, why didn't you mention that earlier?!"

"You didn't ask," Tommy muttered, a bit lost again.

"Shit," Dream groaned, running a hand through his hair to push it back. "Tommy-, they-," he seemed to lose his wording.

"They're fucking bad guys," Sapnap finished for Dream. 

"That book that I got, do you remember?" Dream asked, and Tommy, whose grin had once again faded, nodded wordlessly. "We managed to translate it a while ago, and it was bad."

"How bad?" Philza asked nervously, setting a hand on Tommy's shoulder.

"They had a weird form of religion. I'd never heard of it, but the village believed that our powers are signs that we are God's chosen ones," Dream explained, beginning to pace in a small circle. "We researched the village more because we thought that the lack of people and the blood and everything was weird."

"And?" Wilbur quietly asked after Dream trailed off.

"Well, that lab, the one that took Tommy, was assigned to eradicate the village. They wanted to take out the threat before it could arise-."

"What threat?" Skeppy asked curiously, trying to follow along as best he could.

"This world was given to them by God, and they were going to make sure it remained theirs," Dream detailed, moving his hands in an exaggerated manner. "And from what it sounds like," he reached up and took off his mask, staring at it with a small frown, "they still are." Dream looked up, pulling off his hood and staring at Techno. Techno could see the hope shining in his eyes.

"I didn't know," Techno muttered, looking over to Wilbur and Philza with a frown. 

Dream stepped forward, smiling softly. "There's still time to do the right thing. You don't have to be the bad guys-," Dream froze, a small woosh cutting through the air. He reached up, clutching his neck with a faint wheeze, stumbling forward slightly.

"Dream!" Sapnap shouted, moving to catch the boy as he crumbled limply to the ground. He didn't make it, though, when a grunt erupted from his lips, and he, too, stumbled drearily to the side. Techno took notice of the dart sticking out of his neck.

He looked around in alarm, trying to spot where they had originated from, but another thud echoed in the air catching his attention- George was on the ground. A shot was aimed at Bad, but it phased through him. Tubbo looked up in a panic at Bad, who seemed frozen to his spot.

"What's going on- Tommy?" he asked, turning to look at the blond. Tommy's eyes met dull, empty orbs, and Tubbo fell forward helplessly.

Tommy cried out in alarm as Tubbo met the ground. He moved to help his friend, but Techno quickly pulled him back to stop him. "No, Tommy, it's not safe," Techno grunted. A slow clap resonated in the air as Schlatt walked out of the shadows, a well-equipped task force behind him. 

"Good job, boys!" Schlatt cheered, a bright smile on his face. "You led us to the rats," he chirped, approaching Bad with a wicked grin. "I wasn't informed on you, though. Is he with these guys?" Schlatt asked as he spun around, tilting his head curiously. He watched Techno with calculating eyes, causing the boy to nod in defeat.

"Yeah," Techno muttered, trying to ignore the look of betrayal he received from both Bad and Tommy. 

"Good boy," Schlatt laughed, spinning back around and snapping his fingers. Four men walked forward with guns in their hands. "I think it's in your best interest to-."

"Skeppy?" Bad whispered, looking over at the boy. Skeppy's eyes widened, and he ripped down his face mask with a frown. 

"Wait, Bad?"

"I thought it was weird that Dream knew all of you- and- and that you all had the same name- like Tommy and Techno- and-," Bad's breathing elevated as he looked at Skeppy, the black of the shadows slowly creeping away from his skin in his panicked state. "You're a bad guy?"

Schlatt huffed in annoyance, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a dart-gun. He pressed it against Bad's neck, but the boy didn't look away from Skeppy, his eyes full of sorrow. "Yeah, yeah," Schlatt complained, pulling the trigger and watching Bad drop with a thud. "They're all so whiny, like 'ah, you betrayed me!' and all that shit. Annoying, am I right?" he asked, spinning around and grinning at the five. 

Schlatt whistled, and a group of men started piling the Dream Team out of the warehouse. "How'd you find us?" Philza asked in confusion, and Schlatt laughed loudly.

"Oh, come on!" he grinned, patting the blond on the shoulder. "A picnic with friends? No one goes on picnics anymore. Besides, I have eyes everywhere, and a good thing too! We got rid of your little problem."

"They're our friends!" Skeppy scoffed in alarm, looking at Schlatt with wide eyes. Schlatt tilted his head, eyes narrowing on Skeppy. 

"You heard them, right? All that talk against the village? They're filthy traitors. You can't possibly consider them friends after they trash-talked your home like that, right?" Schlatt asked, his eyes shining in the moonlight as a dangerous glint shined in his eyes. Techno took a step forward, pulling Skeppy back slightly as the boy glared at Schlatt.

"No, they're not our friends," Techno agreed. Schlatt's eyes scanned over his face briefly before his frown split into a wide grin. 

"Good! Great!" Schlatt cheered, patting Techno on the back as he walked past him. "You boys should get back and get some rest," he hummed. "We have a big day tomorrow with your 'friends'!" he laughed, walking out of the building. "Come on, I'll get you a ride."

Techno wordlessly grabbed Tommy and Skeppy, pulling them along as they squirmed and protested in his grip. "Techno, what the hell!" Tommy cried, glaring at the king as he tried to pull his hands off of his wrist. Techno spun his head around to look at Skeppy and Tommy with sharp eyes.

"Wait," he demanded, and the two stilled, no longer fighting against his pull. He sighed sharply and looked to Phil and Wilbur. Phil was the only one who seemed to meet his eyes. He climbed into the van that Schlatt offered them and silently sat in the seat. No one said a word until the vehicle had begun moving.

But when it had, Tommy and Skeppy would not shut up. "Techno, what the hell, we are friends with them! We can't just let Schlatt take them! Are you a traitor, Techno? What the fuck was that in there?" Tommy interrogated, babbling on endlessly and honestly too quickly to understand.

"Bad's on their team- oh, God, I should have known. I just didn't think he'd keep any secrets from me. How was I supposed to know he had a power? He's so nice- I didn't think he'd beat people up for a living. Techno, you let him get taken-." 

Techno slammed his head against the wall of the van, a metallic bang resonated through the air, quieting the two. Then he did it again, then again. He repeated it until Philza placed a hand between his head and the point of contact. "Techno," he muttered worriedly.

"We needed to lie to Schlatt," he said blankly, resting his head on Philza's hand. "If he suspects we're traitors too, we can't help anyone. We need to keep his trust," he muttered tiredly, and Phil shifted over so Techno could lean up against him. Techno closed his eyes, resting on Philza's shoulder. "Sorry."

Wilbur laughed bitterly, catching the four's attention. "What the hell are we getting into?" he asked, glancing at Techno with a small, fake grin. "We're so fucked."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S SHORTER THAN THE LAST CHAPTER AND IT TOOK A WHILE TO POST???? IM SORRY. 
> 
> I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving (if u celebrate it, if not I hope you had a good dinner). LISTEN!! ONLY GOOD TIMES AHEAD!!  
> ONLY FLUFF!! NOTHING BAD HAS EVER- So, how are you all? Good? Warmed up? Ready for the next happy chapter? Good!! Good! 
> 
> (again, sorry this was very slow and only 5k words,, ill speed up now bc we're getting to my favorite chapters!! and I better not see a single "uwu take ur time!!" bc no!! I need to be yelled at!! Stop enabling me!!! I love you but if given the chance, I will fade from existence for a solid month! So don't give me the chance!!) 
> 
> Anyway, Thank you for reading!! I love you all, Stay safe, and have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night!!
> 
> PS SHOWER BC YOU SMELL SO BAD!!! IM LOOKING AT YOU!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all going wrong.

"Are they still out there?" Tommy questioned in a hushed whisper, watching Techno peer out the keyhole on their door. The king wordlessly nodded, a deep frown on his face.

"He's messing with us," Wilbur scoffed. "Is our room even safe to chat in? How do we know there aren't any microphones or cameras?"

"We don't, so we have to be quiet," Techno muttered, walking over to his bed and sitting on the edge, glaring at the ground in thought. 

"How are we going to help the others when we're being watched everywhere we go?" Skeppy asked, a hint of desperation creeping through his voice. The three looked at Techno expectantly, who sighed and stared at the clock. 

"We have to wait for the right opportunity," Techno offered, ignoring the look of disappointment on the group's faces. "If we want to help them, we need to be sure it won't endanger us," he explained as he glanced over to Philza. The elder, by only a few years he briefly remembered, had been strangely quiet. "Right, Phil?" he added, trying to ignore the hint of uncertainty in his words. Phil looked over to him with surprise, but it quickly melted away, and a warm smile replaced his concerned frown. His eyes remained tired.

"Right," Phil nodded. Techno continued to stare at him as if he were trying to figure him out, but he got nothing. He never gets anything. Techno looked back to the door, glaring at it in annoyance.

"Sitting in here isn't going to help them," he grumbled, pushing himself up once more and walking to the door. He unlocked it and swung it open; the men stationed in front didn't react. Techno looked back into the room, meeting the confused stares of his family. "You coming?"

"Where are we going?" Tommy asked as he hurried to Techno's side. The king glanced at the guards with a small smirk. 

"Gotta go check in with Schlatt," Techno hummed as he turned down the hall. Philza, Wilbur, and Skeppy followed warily behind Techno and Tommy as the guards stalked after. "We do work for him, after all."

"Yeah, I guess," Skeppy muttered, spinning around to face the two living statues behind them. "So, what're your guys' names?" he asked, but as expected, the men didn't answer. "Oh, Ronald and Jeremiah? That's cool; I'm going to call you Jerry, and you Ronny. "

"That's a horrible name," Wilbur scoffed, glancing at Skeppy. He glanced back at the workers, pausing as he spotted their name tags. "Oh- shit. I mean, horribly creative. Your mothers did amazing jobs," he backtracked, glaring at Philza, who snickered in the corner of his eye. At least he seemed a little better than earlier. 

"We're here- or are you following us inside too?" Techno asked as he stood in front of Schlatt's office's doors. The two guards looked at the boy and took a step back, but they didn't leave. Techno sighed and pushed the door open. "Schlatt-." He froze, eyes widening at the image in front of him. 

"Hey there, Techno," Schlatt chirped, waving at the group. "You've got great timing!" Dream looked up, his eyes swimming with hatred as he glared at Techno from the seat he was chained to. The rest of his team stood against the wall, their hands bound. George had a blindfold over his eyes, and guards with guns surrounded each of them. 

"What're you doing?" Techno asked, his voice even as he tried to avoid Dream's gaze. Schlatt grinned, gesturing him over, and he reluctantly walked forward, glancing back momentarily to meet his team's worried frowns. 

Schlatt slung an arm over Techno's shoulder, bringing him over to stand in front of Dream. "Usually," Schlatt began, a cool edge to his voice. "I have a team for the interrogation process, but I figured you five would like to do the honors?" Techno prayed the man couldn't hear his heart pounding against his chest. Techno glanced at Schlatt, shrugging.

"That's generous," he nodded to the man. Schlatt's eyes narrowed, scanning Techno's face curiously before he broke out into a wide grin. 

"What can I say; I'm a kind man," Schlatt laughed, looking back to Dream, who had a nervous, but determined expression on his face. "So, let's get started-."

"But," Techno quickly interrupted, regaining Schlatt's gaze. "What are you interrogating them for?" He glanced at George. "You already know their powers."

"True," Schlatt nodded. "I do have that information, thanks to you boys! But we just want to see if they know anything else. Usually, the ones getting questioned aren't so- well, insignificant," Schlatt chuckled, ruffling Dream's hair viciously. "But still, we do like to have some fun here, right? So, there's no harm in roughing them up a little! Besides, I like to know the stupid reasons people choose to involve themselves in something that very clearly isn't their business."

"So," Techno looked back at Dream, frowning. "Why'd you involve yourself, Dream?" Techno asked, voice softer than he had wanted it to be. Dream scoffed, leaning back in the chair and angling his head as he glowered up at Techno. 

"Don't know," Dream smirked. "Why don't you go fuck yourself?" Techno punched Dream. He tried to direct his energy anywhere but his hand. He heard a few sharp gasps from his left, where Dream's team were kept, and silently thanked anyone who was listening that his team didn't verbally react. 

"Woo fucking hoo!" Schlatt shouted, clapping Techno on the back. "Damn! That had to hurt!" Techno didn't look at the businessman; he continued to stare at Dream.

"Just answer the question," he demanded, but Dream grinned at him, teeth stained red. 

"I involved myself because- uh oh. The reason's slipped from my mind! Maybe you should knock me around some more and refresh my memory?"

Techno punched him again, but this time he made a mistake. He didn't hold back as much as he had before. Dream's chair toppled due to the force, but Techno had managed to grab his shirt last second to hold him up. "Last chance," he warned, hearing Schlatt whisper lowly behind him. 

"Atta boy," Schlatt muttered. Dream was coughing almost too loudly to hear, but Techno heard. 

"Not a chance," Dream struggled to catch his breath, "-your highness." 

Techno pulled Dream back up to a seated position and looked to Schlatt with a bored expression. "Am I doing it wrong?"

"No," Schlatt shook his head. "You're doing great. If you want, you can give one of your brothers a try," he offered, looking back at the group. They seemed uninterested, but Techno could see the hidden horror. Techno's eyes met Tommy, and he quickly scoffed.

"Nope," he hummed, gaining Schlatt's attention once more. 

"No?"

"What can I say? I'm greedy with my- uh-," Techno felt wrong. "Toys." Schlatt's grin grew predatory, and he glanced back at the group. 

"You boys okay with that?"

"What Techno says is law," Wilbur muttered. "We don't want to displease the boss," Wilbur peeked at the Dream Team, but they didn't seem to get the message. 

"I get that- with the wife at home and all," Schlatt nodded solemnly, and Philza raised a brow.

"You have a wife?" he asked.

"God, no," Schlatt shook his head sharply. "Anyway," he turned back to Dream, ignoring Philza's confused stare. "If this one won't answer a basic question, we always have four other options." His eyes narrowed. "Which one's that one?" he asked, and Techno's face paled.

"Tubbo," he muttered.

"Fuck-," Dream grunted behind the two. "Damn it- fine! Don't fucking touch him, and I'll tell you what you want to know. It's not even a fucking significant reason- leave them out of this." Schlatt raised a brow as he spun around. 

"Oh?" he hummed. "That's sweet and all, but you lost your-."

"He's the one I have a grudge against," Techno grumbled, cracking his knuckles. "Besides, if Dream's agreeing to give us information, why try someone else and lose the leverage."

"Hm," Schlatt tapped his chin in thought. "Sure, we'll do this your way, Techno." Techno let his shoulders sink in relief, and he directed his attention back to Dream.

"So, why did you want to stop us?" 

"Because we believe that people shouldn't be using their powers for wrong. We wanted to stop your crimes, but when we realized we knew you, we changed our goal to try to prevent and help," Dream explained warily. He paused in thought before looking up, green eyes meeting blue. "Looks like that was our mistake."

Techno turned his head sharply to the side, meeting Schlatt's pleased grin. "What else?"

"Do you work for anyone?"

"Yeah," Dream grinned widely. "Your mom-." Schlatt was the one to hit him this time, causing Dream's head to twist.

"Dream!" Sapnap shouted, watching the dirty blond's head dangle limply. "Fucking hell- asshole!" Sapnap's eyes were firey with anger as he thrashed against the grip of the guards. His eyes met Techno's, and he snarled. "I hope you burn in fucking hell, Techno!" Schlatt laughed loudly and clapped Techno's shoulder reassuringly. 

"There wasn't much info we needed to get out of this group; this was more for fun!" he hummed. "We're finished here, boys. You can take them back to the basement," he grinned, waving the guards away. Two of the guards carried Sapnap out, who struggled against their restraints while shouting curses at anyone and everyone. 

Dream's unconscious body was carried out by the one leading Tubbo, who refused to look up from the ground. Bad was busy helping lead George while the remaining men nudged them along. 

The doors closed behind the men with a click, and Techno sighed as he walked back to his friends. Philza placed a hand on his back- it felt warm, not cold like Schlatt's. He relaxed slightly. 

"Oh," Schlatt smiled as he walked back to his desk, collapsing in his seat and resting his feet on the table. "I've got some calls to make; I've got to figure out what to do with the traitors," he hummed. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"We seem to have two new members of our team," Techno remembered. "Why?"

"Oh," Schlatt smiled. "Ronald and Jeremiah, they're good guys, don't worry. They won't bother you."

"But why are they following us?"

"They have been from the second I hired you," he hummed. "Like I said, I've got eyes everywhere." Techno frowned and turned, pushing the door open with a grunt. "Bye, boys! Oh- Skeppy!" The brunet spun around, staring at Schlatt with confused eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked nervously, glancing back to Techno, who had his usual frown etched into his face.

"Stay back for a second, would you? I've got to talk to you," he hummed, waving the boy over. Skeppy nodded, reluctantly taking a few steps away from the group. "You boys can go ahead," Schlatt called. 

"Why do you need him?" Techno inquired, voice even, but his eyes were sharp with concern.

"Just a chat, don't worry so much, Techno! Plus, your suits have come in," Schlatt explained. "He can take them back when he goes."

"Alright," Techno murmured, gripping the door nervously. "See you soon, Skeppy." Skeppy tried to give him a reassuring smile, and the king nodded. Skeppy turned back to Schlatt as the door shut with a click behind them.

"So, what'd you want to talk about?" Skeppy asked as Schlatt pushed his chair out and stood up. 

"Skeppy," Schlatt smiled, walking over and wrapping an arm around the boy. "Do you know how someone obtains power?" Schlatt strolled closer to his desk.

"Money?" Schlatt grinned widely at Skeppy, amused by the answer.

"I suppose that's one way. But I was thinking more about emotions."

"Oh."

"Human beings are weak," Schlatt explained, letting go of Skeppy. "Emotion is how you control people; fear, mostly. You can try adoration, but one slip up and their love goes. An even mix of both fear and love is ideal." He paused, blinking as he stared at his desk. "Skeppy, do you know how to stay in power?"

"No," Skeppy muttered, more confused than he had been before. 

"Well," Schlatt hummed, pulling off his white glove. He flexed his hands, staring at them with mild interest. Schlatt picked up Dream's mask that Skeppy had just noticed sitting on the table. Skeppy watched in mild horror as the white beneath Schlatt's fingertips slowly shifted to gold and spread. "You exert your power."

"I- why are you telling me this, though?" he whispered, the mask was nothing more than a gold disc. 

Schlatt looked to him, his eyes dark and swimming with delight. "We're going to make an example out of the traitors." 

"What do you mean?"

"I'm gonna fucking kill them!" Schlatt shouted, throwing the golden mask against the wall. All it did was make a loud clatter- a bang. Skeppy flinched; he didn't know whether it was at the news or the noise. 

"I got you boys the front row seats of the event!" Schaltt chirped, smiling happily. Skeppy hoped his face didn't look as sick as he felt. 

"When-," Skeppy cut himself off before his voice cracked, trying to hide his shaking hands behind his back. Schlatt understood his question, though, and tapped his chin. 

"I wanted it soon- you know, to get it over with; I was thinking of tomorrow at noon," Schlatt explained, and Skeppy nodded slowly. Schlatt seemed to take this as his agreement and pulled back on his gloves. "Great! Then it's settled!"

"I-."

"You're excited," Schlatt interrupted, grinning wider. "You should let others know. I just thought I'd run it by you first!" Skeppy could only nod slowly; he couldn't muster up any words. He spun on his heel and stiffly hurried to the door, but Schlatt quickly stopped him.

"You're going to need these suits!" he called, holding up hangers of clothes. "After all, we're not heathens. You have to dress nicely for funerals." He walked over and handed them to the boy, who gripped the plastic covering the suits tightly as he took them. "Now, get out of here! I have some calls to make!" 

Skeppy sped out of the room faster than he should have. He couldn't find it in himself to care- he had to tell his friends. He walked into the elevators and clicked the lowest button he could. He needed to tell his best friend. A moment of realization struck him that they wouldn't allow a random kid to wander into their basement without reason for being there, so he quickly shifted to Schlatt. 

For the first time, it felt wrong. Skeppy hurried out as the doors beeped and looked ahead at one of the guards standing watch. "I need to see the traitors." His heart was beating all too fast. The guard pointed down the hall behind him, and Skeppy narrowed his eyes. He walked past the man to the door at the end of the hall before throwing a glance back. "Alone."

"Yes, sir," the guard nodded briefly before walking down another hall and into a door that Skeppy didn't notice before. It was good enough. There was an openable section on the padlocked door, presumably for delivering food or other necessities, that he yanked open silently. Skeppy peered into the room, which resembled an asylum, padded with white fabric.

Dream was leaning silently against Sapnap, grabbing his hand tightly as he looked expectantly at the door. Sapnap was speaking in an angry, hushed whisper to George, who nodded along beside him. Bad was sitting next to Tubbo with an arm wrapped protectively around him as he hummed a light tune. 

"Go away, Skeppy," Dream grumbled, narrowing his gaze. Skeppy blinked and quickly shifted back, now everyone's attention was on him. 

"I," he paused and looked over to Bad. Almost everyone's attention, at least. "Please, Bad, let me explain!" Bad wordlessly shook his head, eyes on the ground. He continued humming. "I didn't know-."

"Dream said to go away," Sapnap snapped. Skeppy gave him a single glance.  
  
"I didn't know you were on their team or that Schlatt would do this! We thought-."

"It doesn't matter what you thought," Bad blurted out, his head shooting up. It was Skeppy's turn to look away. "We're stuck in this pickle now because of you and your friends!"

Skeppy felt an urge to protest, but the facts lined up. They were the ones to get involved with Schlatt, and whether they knew it or not, they led their friends to their graves. They were going to be-, "Bad, you have to listen to me!"

"No, Skeppy! You've been lying to me for so long, and I'm not going to listen anymore! I can't keep getting tricked- are- we aren't even friends, are we? That was a lie, too, wasn't it?"

"What? No! We're fri-," Skeppy shook his head viciously, eyes wide. His grip on the suits was causing his knuckles to go white. 

"No! You're lying again, Skeppy! If you were my friend, you wouldn't have led Schlatt to us and got us captured!" Bad explained, his eyes teary. Skeppy panicked. 

"Bad, he followed us! We didn't know he had come along. We all hate Schlatt as much as you do."

"Oh, yeah," George scoffed. "Techno beat Dream up because he hates Schlatt; that sounds right."

"He was just trying to protect us!"

"Yeah, because you guys are stuck in jail? Right? You guys need a bunch of protection." Sapnap asked, a fake grin plastered on his face. Skeppy looked back to Bad, who was staring at him with a dark look. 

"Are you here to let us out, Skeppy?" Skeppy froze. He could. He very well could, but he didn't have the key. And if he asked for the key, as Schlatt, that would be a major red flag. Then he'd get caught, then his family, and then-. "Your silence is enough of an answer."

"I can't," Skeppy regretfully whispered. He could see the small bit of hope in Bad's eyes shatter. "I- it's too-."

"Go away already," Tubbo mumbled from where he sat. Skeppy swallowed. 

"What about Tommy?" he asked nervously. "You don't have to trust me, but would you trust him?"

"No," Tubbo shook his head numbly. "I trusted him with the bomb thing, but from what Bad told us about last night, and from what I saw, you're all on Schlatt's side," he explained quietly. "I don't think I have it in me to trust him right now."

"So," Dream grunted out, "go the fuck away. We don't speak to traitors." Skeppy felt helpless.

"I-."

"Go away!" Bad shouted, clenching his fists tightly as a few tears spilled down his cheeks. "Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away!" he repeated, covering his ears. Skeppy heard the door behind him click open as he quickly shifted back to Schlatt, his heart pounding in his chest. He closed the window and spun around, stomping quickly past the guard, who had a puzzled look on his face.   
  
He sped his way into the elevator before the guard could ask any questions, Bad's faint sobs echoing- he didn't know if they were in his mind, taunting him, or if they were just that loud. The doors closed, and his disguise faded as Skeppy let out a shaky breath. He was okay; it was the Dream Team who were in danger right now. They were going to be executed. Skeppy's eyes burned as he watched the number of the floor changed. He didn't get to tell them. 

He was okay.

Skeppy ran down the hall, the suits blowing behind him as he hurried. He paid no mind to Jerry and Ronny outside the door, and they treated him with the same consideration. He swung the door shut behind him and tossed the bags of suits on the ground before flinging himself on the bed. He felt a hand on his back, and the noise was so loud, but the room was so quiet.

"Skeppy?" Philza called warily. "Are you okay?" he whispered, and Skeppy nodded because he was. The tears streaming down his face were speaking lies to the others. He was fine.

"What'd Schlatt do?" Techno asked bluntly from the other side of him. Philza shushed him sharply, rubbing comforting circles on Skeppy's back. 

"What's up?" Philza asked, and Skeppy remembered he needed to tell them.

"They- Schlatt," he whispered into the sheets. "He wants to execute the Dream Team." The hand on his back faltered, freezing in its movements.

"Huh?" he asked, leaning closer. "I- I don't think I heard you right."

"Schlatt," Skeppy lifted his head slightly, his words wavering in his throat. "He wants to kill the Dream Team tomorrow at noon. He got us suits for the funeral."

"Holy shit," Wilbur muttered. 

"Techno?" Tommy's voice was small. "What do we do?"

"I-," Techno shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he looked to Tommy. "I don't know, I'll think of something," he promised, staring blankly at the wall. 

"Phil," Tommy called. "Is Tubbo going-?"

"No," Wilbur shook his head firmly; he sounded so confident. It was reassuring. "No, Techno'll think of something. And even if he doesn't, Tubbo's super smart, and Dream knows the future. They're on the same team; they'll get out of it." He rested an arm over Tommy's shoulder and grinned down at him. "This is the Dream Team we're talking about," he cheered. "They're tricky and smart, and fucking amazing. "

"Right," Tommy nodded, slightly more assured. Honestly, Skeppy was too. He looked up to Philza, who had a soft smile on his face.

"It's going to be fine," he nodded, looking over to the discarded suits. He stood up and picked them up, hanging them in the closet. Skeppy sighed, rubbing his eyes harshly.

It was going to be fine; everything was going to be okay. Skeppy was okay.

.

It was not okay. Techno glared at the wall as the sun peeked through the curtain of the room. He had nothing. Every idea, every possibility, ended up in somebody dying. He wasn't ready to lose one of his friends nor one of his family, but he had nothing. He thought he heard a distant shuffle but didn't take his eyes off of the small dent he had been staring at for the past few hours. What could he do?

He saw something in the corner of his eye, and on instinct, he grabbed the hand that reached for him tightly. Philza stared back at him with surprise, but it quickly shifted to a gentle smile as Techno let his hand go. "Sorry-."

"No, that was my mistake. I should've remembered; it's just that you haven't done that in a while," Philza explained as he took a seat next to Techno. "What're you looking at?"

"The wall has a dent in it," he murmured, turning his attention back to the wall. 

"When'd you wake up?"

"Yesterday morning," Techno replied with a shrug. "I've gotta figure-." 

"No," Philza shook his head quickly, pushing himself up then tugging on Techno's arm. "You've got to sleep."

"I slept for an hour!" Techno defended, not budging from where he sat on the floor. "Phil- no, really. I'm okay," he reasoned, pulling his arm back down after Philza gave up. "I'm just trying to figure out how to stop Schlatt."

Philza sighed heavily before sinking back next to him. "I know you are," he whispered, resting an arm over Techno's shoulder. Techno wasn't much of a toucher, but he never seemed to push away Phil.

"How's it going?" Wilbur asked tiredly from behind Techno, taking a seat next to him on his left. He leaned his head on the other's shoulder, half-awake.

"I've got nothing," he admitted. "Nothing safe- nothing I'm willing to try." Wilbur nodded slowly, stifling a yawn. "What time is it?"

"Eight-thirty in the morning; only three more hours," Philza whispered, gazing up at the clock on the wall as he fiddled with one of Wilbur's curls. Techno's eyes sunk to the ground, panic flooding through them. "Hey," Techno looked at the blond, who grinned at him. "If nothing else, we can just do what we do best."

"What's that?" Techno asked, struggling to keep a small smile off of his face.

"Fuck shit up," Wilbur snorted. Philza laughed, ruffling Wilbur's hair before he untangled his arm from Techno's neck and pushed himself up. 

"I presume you're not going to take a break?" Philza asked, strolling over to Skeppy and shaking him awake. Techno shook his head, looking down at Wilbur, who was already almost asleep. Philza groaned as he shoved at Skeppy, but the boy didn't wake.

"I can't," he muttered. "If I don't come up with something before-." Techno's words were interrupted by two loud knocks on the door. Philza shared a glance with Techno as Wilbur and Skeppy shot up with a gasp. Tommy still laid dead on the bed. The knocks repeated, and Philza hurried over to the door.

"Hello- Schlatt?" Philza's confusion was evident, and Techno quickly stood himself up, knocking Wilbur over in the process. 

"Hey there, Philza," Schlatt grinned, peering past the blond at Techno, who watched with a tilted head. "Techno," he nodded to the boy. "You know, I'm a busy man. Making me knock twice? Tsk tsk."

"Sorry," Philza chuckled softly. "I was trying to wake up Tommy and Skeppy. Did you need something?" Schlatt grinned, a wicked grin, and nodded.

"Just wanted to update you on the schedule! Today's big event- I'm sure Skeppy told you- starts at noon! I'd like for you to be in your seats fifteen or thirty minutes early," he detailed, and Philza blinked in realization. 

"Where're you having- uh, it?"

"In our auditorium," Schlatt stared at him blankly. "You know where it is, right?"

"No?"

"Hm, well, don't worry," Schlatt reassured, looking over to Jerry and Ronald. "They'll lead you. Anyway, clean up nicely! You boys represent my team; we can't have you looking like you just woke up! We're going to have a big lunch after, so don't worry about that."

"Okay," Philza nodded, looking back into the room. "Well, it's almost nine; we better start getting ready." Schlatt nodded enthusiastically and turned on his heel to walk down the hall.

"And remember, boys," he called as he walked away. "Front row seats."

"Yessir," Philza acknowledged before closing the door. He sighed and looked to Techno, who had a frown on his face. "Let's get Tommy up. We need to get ready."

"I'm up," Tommy whispered.

.

"Oh, good! You're here," Schlatt cheered as the team approached. Techno nodded slowly. "The suits look great," he complimented, "I mean, I helped design them, of course they do!" he laughed. Their suits were almost identical black tux suit, aside from their ties. Techno, as requested, had a watermelon pink tie, Wilbur's was a mustard yellow, Philza's was a grass green, Skeppy's was a deep cyan, and Tommy's was an identical red to Schlatt's. Schlatt descended the stage's stairs and patted Tommy's head with a grin. "A spitting image!"

Tommy didn't reply, but Schlatt didn't acknowledge his new silence. Instead, the businessman turned back towards the stage and gestured them along. "Your friends are backstage," Schlatt explained as the five walked up the stairs. "I figured you'd want to say your goodbyes, right?"

"Right," Techno muttered, almost too quiet to hear. Schlatt held the curtain open, and the five walked backstage. Their eyes immediately met the Dream Team's, but there was no relief in them, only distress. Their hands were bound behind their backs with little white scraps tied around a wrist.

"I-," Wilbur looked back at Schlatt, saying the one thing he could think of, "What's the white fabric on their arms?" Schlatt raised a brow before holding up his gloved hand.

"One of our own made this fabric," he explained. "It cancels out powers. It's how we get these boys to behave!" Sapnap scoffed, grumbling a curse under his breath. 

"Ah," Wilbur nodded, turning back to his fr-enemies. "So, we just say goodbye?" He had noticed Dream managed to bend his hands enough to fumble with the fabric- he just needed Schlatt distracted as Dream broke free of it.

"Yeppers, unless you don't want to?" Schlatt asked curiously. "I mean, that's cruel, even for me! They're about to die and all, but hey, you do you!"

"I-," he looked back at Dream, who no longer had a white band around his wrist. "And we won't get in trouble?" Schlatt laughed loudly at the question, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

"Nope! Why would you? It's not like you guys actually care, right?" Tommy looked at Schlatt with a glare that the man didn't see.

"Right," Wilbur nodded. He turned back to the Dream Team, but he couldn't meet any of their eyes. "I- I'm sorry it had to come to this. Guess this is goodbye."

None of the Dream Team spoke. No one even looked at them. Tommy was trying desperately to get Tubbo to meet his eyes, but the boy just coward away behind Dream.

"Goodbye," Techno nodded, his eyes flickering over each member as he tried to figure something out. But there was nothing. 

"See you later," Philza spoke softly, briefly catching a glimpse of Tubbo's panicked eyes looking at him. He felt his heart drop.

"Bad-," Schlatt bored holes into Skeppy's skull. He was always watching. "Uh, nevermind, go ahead, Tommy."

The four looked at Tommy expectantly, but he just stared at Tubbo with a blank face. "Tommy?" Techno muttered, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder, but Tommy just shook his head. "It's okay," he whispered, "you don't have to."

"Is he sick or something?" Schlatt asked curiously, and Techno nodded.

"Yeah, he's not feeling great."

"Ah," Schlatt watched the boy. "Well, I've got a surprise soon that may cheer him up," he winked at the boys before strolling to the curtain. "The auditorium's getting full! We'll be starting soon; are you five excited? It's your big day!" he applauded the Dream Team as he approached.

Dream glanced at him but didn't say a word. Schlatt tilted his head, tapping his foot patiently. "Not much of a talker anymore, eh? Too bad," he hummed before checking his watch. He whistled lowly, looking back to his boys. "Two minutes."

"Get ready to go on, Mister Schlatt," one of the backstage workers called, and Schlatt straightened out his suit. 

"Should we go to our seats?" Philza asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion as he looked at Techno. Schlatt laughed once more- no one knew what was funny.

"Nope," Schlatt shook his head. "Like I said, I've got you front row seats," he winked before walking over to the curtain. "One minute, boys." The group waited in silence, the only noise being the chatter of the audience outside.

"You're on in five, four, three, two-," Schlatt disappeared behind the curtain, cheers erupting from the crowd at his appearance. Techno looked around, desperate for something. If all else fails, they do Plan B, but right now, they needed a Plan A.

"We've got a real special treat this afternoon!-" Schlatt's voice cut through his mind. 

Wilbur watched as Dream moved closer to Tubbo, taking his hand with a small bit of struggle. He felt a surge of relief; Dream was smart, and he knew how to think quickly. He could find a way out with his ability, but as Wilbur watched Dream's face go pale, Wilbur's hope vanished. 

"We caught ourselves some traitors!" The crowd booed. "Horrible, I know. That's why today we're making an example! Let's get rid of these fuckers!"

Dream began panicking ask he inspected the room, but with each glance, his expression grew more sorrowful. "Shit," Wilbur watched Dream mutter under his breath as he squeezed Tubbo's hand a little tighter. Tubbo looked up to Dream with a frown, but Dream couldn't meet his eyes.

"Allow me to introduce," Schlatt called, and a group of guards hurried forward and grabbed the Dream Team by the arms. "Our special guests: Dream, George, Sapnap, Bad, and Tubbo!" The five disappeared out of the curtain and onto the stage.

"Techno-," Skeppy whispered urgently. Techno moved to do something- anything, but a group of workers approached with guns in hand. 

"And for our team behind this all," Schlatt spoke excitedly into the mic. 

Techno braced himself for what was to come, standing boldly in front of his friends, his mind racing as he stared at the weapons. Then, the employee shoved the cool metal into his hands. They continued this until all five of them held a gun. 

"My honest, compliant partners: Techno, Philza, Wilbur, Skeppy, and Tommy!" Schlatt exclaimed, and the next thing Techno knew, he and his family were on stage. The sunshine from the glass ceiling felt all too hot. "Welcome, boys! I told you front row seats, right?" he winked.

"Schlatt-," Techno muttered, looking out on the sea of open faces.

"I figured I'd surprise these boys," Schlatt explained to the audience. "A treat, they get to do the honors themselves!"

"What?" Skeppy whispered, eyes flickering from the crowd to Techno, then to Bad. "Techno."

"I know- I don't know," Techno looked to the guards behind the Dream Team, watching them expectantly. 

"Well," Schlatt hummed expectantly, his eyes knowingly watching. "Get in your spots," Schlatt ordered, and Techno felt hands on his shoulders directing him to stand in front of Dream. Dream, like his friends, was on his knees, a few feet away from the next person. He looked to his left, Philza stood in front of George, Wilbur in front of Sapnap, Skeppy with Bad, and Tommy with Tubbo. He noticed Tommy and Skeppy were shaking as they stared down at their best friends, and turned back to look at Dream.

Schlatt was behind him, whispering in his ear. "Do it, Techno," he hummed, "you're the leader. Your friends will follow after. Don't you want your friends to be safe?" Techno raised the gun, staring down the barrel at Dream's wide, angry eyes. Dream opened his mouth to say something, but he decided against it. Techno's hands shook ever so slightly. He didn't want this, but the guard in front of him had his hand on his gun, and he knew someone was going to die today. 

Philza glanced over to the king, spotting Schlatt leaned close to Techno's ear as the boy raised his gun hesitantly. Phil glanced over to Wilbur, who was watching Techno with surprise, before Phil, too, raised his weapon. If Techno did so, it was for a good reason; he had a plan. Philza trusted him, so he looked at George, who stared blankly in defeat at the ground, with growing worry. He noticed Wilbur had followed his lead and raised his gun, but his finger was nowhere near the trigger. Oddly enough, that brought him some relief. 

"Wilbur?" Skeppy asked quietly to the brunet beside him. Wilbur looked away from Sapnap, who was glaring at him with teary eyes. 

"Just do as Techno does," Wilbur whispered, his voice cracking. Skeppy only noticed then the small streaks running down his cheek. Skeppy nodded slowly, looking over to Tommy.

"Tommy, we've gotta raise the gun," Skeppy ordered, but the kid was staring at Tubbo, who was shaking with quiet sobs. Tommy looked at Skeppy and shook his head quickly. "Please, Tommy. I don't like this either, but Techno's our leader. He's got a plan; he wouldn't raise his gun without reason," Skeppy begged, ignoring the crowd's loud cheers behind him. He refused to acknowledge the fact that he, too, hadn't raised his gun yet. 

Tommy's eyes never left Tubbo's, who had begun crying when Tommy stepped in front of him with a gun. He didn't care what Techno had planned; there was no way he was pointing a gun at his best friend. Tommy opened his mouth, but no words came out. Tubbo didn't look at him the same way he used to, Tommy noticed. Tubbo's eyes no longer carried the hope and joy it usually did. He used to look at Tommy with excitement, happiness even. Now, when looking at his best friend, Tubbo's eyes only held fear.

It felt so wrong. 

Skeppy looked back at Bad; he wanted to tell him it was okay, to comfort Bad. He couldn't. Skeppy had realized fairly quickly that if he stared at Bad too long, his eyes burn. It was because of the tears, but Skeppy was okay. 

"Please, Skeppy," Bad begged. "Please, please don't do this." Skeppy looked away quickly. His eyes were burning again.

His breathing felt too shallow- "Tommy," Skeppy tried to call, but was drowned out by the sound of glass shattering.

"Fucking hell!" Schlatt shouted in annoyance, ripping off his gloves as a vine dropped into the room along with a man encased in metal. He held out his arms, and with a small squeak, a girl with brown hair and blond bangs jumped into them. 

"Niki, take care of them. I'll get the team," the man ordered the girl as he set her gently down. Schlatt snapped his head at the guards, who seemed to still be frozen in a state of shock. 

"What am I paying you for? Fucking shoot them!" he growled, springing them into action. They began to shoot at the man, who had rushed over to untie Dream, but the bullets just bounced off of his metal shell. The most damage they did were small dents. The girl, Niki, had reached towards the ground, and in a second, multiple gigantic vines sprouted, breaking through the wood of the stage. One of them knocked Techno and his team back, the other wrapped around the guards, and the final one swung at Schlatt.

Schlatt, to put it simply, was pissed. He shoved his hand in front of him, and the moment the green hit his fingers, it dropped into the stage below with a loud thud, transforming the plant to gold. 

"Boys," he called, looking over to the group, who had recovered and watched with mild interest. "Fucking stop them."

They didn't move.

"How'd you know?" Schlatt heard Tubbo ask as he rushed over to Niki, rubbing his eyes with a small smile. 

"You never called," Niki explained, ruffling his head before entangling another group of guards. The other four, now untied, hurried to her side and grabbed onto the vine. "Eret!" she called to the boy, waving him over. The metal man, Eret, ran over with a grin, wrapping a hand around the vine.

"Let's go! Fundy's waiting," he gestured up to the helicopter. Dream laughed, nodding happily.

"This reunion was fucking shitty," Dream scoffed, glancing momentarily at Techno, whose shoulders sagged in relief. 

The vine quickly recoiled up, and with that- in less than five minutes- the ceremony was over. The audience had dissipated from the scene in favor of safety.

Schlatt walked over to the shattered roof, watching the helicopter disappear in the distance. He looked over to Techno's team, meeting Techno's eyes. Schlatt patted the now dead, golden plant on the stage as he hopped over, his gloves discarded on the ground. 

"Well, this was fun, huh? It's a shame you boys had to go and confirm my suspicions. Guards," he called, and a group of men hurried over, surrounding the family and detaining them. "Let's go talk in my office, hm?" 

.

"This doesn't seem like your office, this one new?" Tommy asked; it was the most anyone had heard him speak that day. He was grinning ear-to-ear. 

"Yep," Schlatt nodded. "Needed a change of scenery." The group, which consisted of Techno's family, the guards that had detained them, and Schlatt, stood on the roof; a cool breeze blew through the air. "Why so happy? You don't seem to be in a great situation."

"Tubbo and the Dream Team fuckin' won," Tommy hummed happily. Schlatt tilted his head curiously, looking over the restrained group. 

Techno had bound hands with a tranquilizer pressed against his neck- just in case he tried anything. Wilbur wore Schlatt's gloves; Schlatt didn't need them right now, and his hands were, too, bound. Skeppy was merely detained, two hands holding his arms tightly. The same went for Tommy, who stood there with a stupid smile on his face. Philza's wings were bound behind his back, prohibiting from opening as hands on his shoulders held him still.

"Ah," Schlatt blinked. "You haven't known me for too long, so I'll fill you in. I don't lose," he grumbled. "Who the hell were those guys they were working with?"

"Don't know," Skeppy shrugged. Schlatt walked over to him, grabbing Skeppy's tie and yanking him forward, choking him slightly. 

"You don't want to get me angry," he warned. "It's harder to be reasonable, you know?" The tie on his neck slowly shifted to a golden color but stopped halfway as he let it go. "So, let me repeat," he offered cooly. "Who the fuck was that!" his voice quickly raised to a shout as he pointed into the sky.

"Your mom-." Wilbur doubled over in pain as Schlatt punched him in his stomach. "Fuck you," he grumbled as he glared up at Schlatt, who glared back with dark eyes. Schlatt grabbed Wilbur's hair and yanked his head up. 

"You know," he hummed cooly. "I promised my workers an execution of traitors. You boys would fit nicely." Wilbur held his tongue, wincing as he watched Schlatt. Schlatt scoffed and dropped his head as he strolled over to Philza. "Oh, you look happy to see me," he laughed, patting Phil's head. "Got something to say?"

"Just thinking about how you look like shit. Aren't you supposed to be professional? Your suit's wrinkled and everything-."

"Alright," Jschlatt growled, snapping his fingers as he spun on his heel and walked away. "We'll try something else because you don't seem to be that compliant right now. Come on, Philly!"

The guards shoved Phil forward towards the edge of the roof, where Schlatt stood. Schlatt pulled him over until the tip of his feet hung over the ledge. "Big drop, huh?" he asked with a wide grin. Phil didn't reply; he just stared at the distant pavement. "So, Philza," he hummed as he looked at the blond, who glared back. "Who the fuck," he snarled, "was that?"

Philza glanced back at his team, whose faces were white with fear. "Uh," he muttered nervously. "I've never met them before." 

"Hm, so you're useless." Schlatt shoved Philza over the side. 

Tommy watched with wide eyes before his body moved on instinct. He ripped his hands free from the guard's grasps and ran to the ledge, jumping over as his team shouted at him. 

Philza's heart was pounding in his ears, and he felt his wings pull against their restraints as they tried to save him. He could hear shouts from above, but he couldn't discern who was shouting. Strangely enough, even as he fell, he couldn't find it in himself to regret not telling Schlatt the truth.

The wind blew through his hair, and for a moment, he tricked himself into believing he was flying. It was nice-, he always liked flying. It was peaceful, the calm in the storm. For the first time in a while, he felt alright. It was a guilty feeling; his friends were probably up on the roof scared, worried, maybe they'd meet his fate too. But he merely closed his eyes and let the air howl in his ears.

A hand wrapped around his wrist and his eyes snapped open, pulling him back to reality. Tommy stared at him with wide, horror-filled eyes as his new wings beat hard to keep them still. Philza noticed tears filling his eyes. "Don't do that!" Tommy shouted, grip tightening on his wrist. Philza narrowed his eyes in confusion, and Tommy struggled not to drop him. "You looked dead, and I thought I was too late! Like you had a heart attack or some shit- or you gave up. Don't fucking do that again!"

"Okay," Philza agreed quickly, because he couldn't bare to be the one to make Tommy cry. He hadn't done it before, and he wouldn't do it now. "I'm okay," he assured.

Tommy stared at him before nodding. "You're okay," he agreed. "We're okay." He shifted to where he had Philza in one hand and offered the other for Philza's other hand. Phil quickly gave it to him, and the two slowly made their way back to the top.

"Thank you, Tommy," Philza smiled as Tommy looked down at him. Tommy nodded wordlessly before staring up at Schlatt, who was now only a few feet away. 

Schlatt whistled, peering over the edge and grinning at the two. "Good save, might try that again later! Come on up; I'll let Philza stay as a reward for your hard work!"

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't!" Schlatt laughed. "But soon, if you don't fucking get up here," he shouted in annoyance. "I'll start tossing more people over, do you wanna test how much you can catch? Or would you rather take my gracious offer and get the hell up here?"

Tommy landed on the roof with shaky hands; he was sure it was because of the strain of carrying Philza, not out of fear or stress. He looked a Techno, who snarled as Schlatt approached. He wasn't happy.

"Who's next? Or do you want to start answering questions?"

"We don't know," Techno grumbled. "All we know is that before we parted ways, the Dream Team said they were going to go find the lab that had captured us. They wanted to rekindle relations or something. So, back the fuck up," he warned, tugging against the guards holding him back.

"Aw," Schlatt cooed, walking closer. "Is someone unhappy with their current situation? Well then, don't fucking lie to me! I'm tired of this tip-toey bullshit!" Schlatt ripped a gun out of one of the guard's hands and threw it at the ground. It was solid gold by the time it hit the ground, and Schlatt let out a sigh. He picked it up with an unamused frown.

"Listen, boys; we need to come to an understanding," Schlatt calmly pointed out, twirling the gun in his hand. "You," he pointed the gun at Tommy, who stiffened up. "Have absolutely no power here. To get the best outcome, I suggest you start listening and complying. Oh, don't look at me like that, Techno." Schlatt squeezed the trigger, but it didn't budge. "It's all gold, so cool the hell down."

Techno ripped his handcuffs apart and tore himself away from the guards before anyone could react. He shot forward and grabbed Schlatt by the throat, lifting him with one hand. The other hand held Schlatt's wrist tightly to keep him from moving. "Who doesn't have power now?" he snarled, raising a brow.

Schlatt grinned as he coughed, squirming in the boy's grip. "You know," he groaned out, wincing as Techno's hand tightened. "If you weren't a filthy traitor, you'd be a great apprentice." Techno scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Not in your fucking dreams," he grumbled. "Any last words?" Schlatt wheezed out a laugh.

"You really thought this was going to work?" he asked, tilting his head. Techno felt a sharp pain in his back, and he hissed as he let go of Schlatt. He staggered on his feet, spinning around to see a guard with a taser. "Awfully selfish of you," Schlatt taunted. "You'd risk your friend's lives just to threaten mine?" Techno's eyes widened as he looked to his family, his heart pounding in his chest. "They aren't immune to bullets like you are, huh?"

Tommy watched, frozen to his place as the cool gun pressed against his temple. His other friends seemed to be in the same situation. Techno stumbled back around and glared at Schlatt, opening his mouth to say something, but the taser connected with his back once more.

"Shit-," Techno hissed as he sank to his knees, holding his head tightly. He looked up at Schlatt, who stared down with an amused smile.

"Tsk tsk, Techno. I think I deserve an apology! Don't you agree?" Techno took one glance back at his friends before meeting Schlatt's eyes once more.

"Sorry."

"Hm, try a little harder?" Schlatt suggested, and Techno heard the buzz of the taser behind him and rolled his eyes. He was able to take the pain; the more they use it, the less it hurts.

"Fine. Schlatt, I am sorry that I didn't kill you."

"Hm," Schlatt tapped his chin. "Either you're bad at this- or you just want your friends dead?" he asked, looking back at the guards.

"Here," Schlatt hummed, gesturing Tommy over. The guard shoved the blond over to Schlatt's side. Schlatt grinned, grabbing Tommy's wrist. 

"Wait-," Techno muttered, blinking in realization. "Schlatt, no. I'm sorry, okay? Really-."

"Listen! I'm a generous man-." Tommy yelped in pain, trying to pull himself out of Schlatt's grip, but Schlatt squeezed it tighter as he held a hand over Tommy's mouth to quiet him. "Ah ah, don't interrupt me, or this'll be a whole lot worse," he warned as Tommy squeezed his eyes shut. 

"Schlatt- please, stop. I'm sorry, please," Techno quickly apologized as he watched Tommy's pale skin shift to shiny gold. 

"Are you finally getting it?" Schlatt spat, glaring down at the hopeless king. "Did I finally get it through your fucking head, Techno? You're going to shut your fucking mouth, and damn-well listen to me!"

"I will," Techno nodded. "I will, I swear- let him go, please. I'm sorry," Techno desperately tried, and Schlatt let go of Tommy with a wide smile, resting his hand on Tommy's shoulder while the other continued muffling Tommy's sobs as Tommy clutched his wrist weakly.

"Like I said," Schlatt pat Tommy's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm a kind guy, the whole gold thing isn't reversible, but you should still be able to move your hand." He let go of the boy, who immediately stumbled forward and behind Techno. 

Techno spun around and examined Tommy's hand; the gold had crept to the middle of his forearm. "I'm sorry, Tommy," he whispered, frowning as he watched Tommy wipe fiercely at his tears. 

"This is sweet and all," Schlatt muttered as he walked forward. Techno shifted himself to where he was in front of Tommy. "But I've got a new mission for you boys!" 

"What?" Philza asked bitterly; Schlatt laughed at the anger in his voice. 

"I'm glad you asked. Well," Schlatt hummed, strolling over to Phil. "I think we need to get rid of a lab."

"Yeah? Then what?" Wilbur asked suspiciously.

"Then," Schlatt grinned, looking over to Wilbur. "I win."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good times with the fam :))
> 
> Niki has the ability to grow and control plants!! Pretty self explanatory, have u seen her? Sweet plant mama has my heart :)))
> 
> Eret's power is that he can touch any material and take its form. The reason? Idk uhh sounded cool,, also have u seen this man?? He can pull off anything,, platform boots, strawberry dress, the metal of a helicopter,, :))
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter!! The next one?? Happy!! Big smiles boys, get ready!! you'll be loling hand rofling so hard u'll die. guaranteed.
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for reading! Stay safe, love you all, and have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new mission.

With how rich Schlatt is, he should be able to afford vans with seats, but no. Tommy had been sitting on a van's floor- no seatbelts either- for about two hours, going on three. His focus was more on his hand, though. It didn't hurt anymore; it was just cold and heavy. 

Tommy found out, about an hour ago, that he couldn't speak. It wasn't a physical issue, his throat didn't hurt, and he didn't lose his voice, but he couldn't find it in himself to speak. Not when Philza asked him how he felt, not when Skeppy tried to cheer him up with a joke, not when Wilbur hummed his favorite song and encouraged him to sing along. He couldn't even reply when Techno whispered so many apologies that Tommy lost count. 

Everyone seemed to be staring at his hand, like him. Usually, he'd make a cocky, stupid retort or fuss about how they should stop fucking starin'. He didn't care enough, though. Where were they going again?

The lab, right. They've got to kill their family again- not family. Dream didn't want to be family- Tubbo didn't want to be family. Tubbo didn't want to be friends. There was a familiar lump in his throat that he couldn't swallow down. Think about something else.

Tommy glanced up for the first time since the ride began. Skeppy sat on the wall beside him, a few feet away. Skeppy had his face buried in his knees, and occasionally, he'd shiver. Was he cold? 

Across from the two were Philza and Techno. Techno's eyes were locked on Tommy, specifically his hand. It seemed to be disturbing their leader more than it did Tommy. He looked tired, and Tommy suddenly remembered that Techno hadn't slept for the past couple of days. He must be low on energy. It's okay, so is Tommy. Funnily enough, despite not eating for the past day, he wasn't too hungry. He assumes that's what impending doom will do to the digestive system.

Philza was next to Techno, his wings unbound. Not that he planned to escape, he couldn't carry four people, and Tommy didn't see Phil as the type of person to ditch family. It strangely relieved Tommy to know he still had some form of family. Still, Phil looked tired- more so than Techno. His eyes flickered up and met Tommy's, and Tommy could have sworn he saw a wave of relief wash over Phil. He still looked terrible. Phil waved with a small smile, and Tommy blinked. He should wave back, but he couldn't. Phil looked sad and worried again.

Wilbur was the only one standing. He had been pacing from one side of the van to the other, fists clenched by his side as he stomped. Tommy was slightly concerned. Wilbur was fucking terrifying when angry, especially when you're the reason. Was Tommy the reason? That wouldn't make sense, Tommy knew, but the stress remained. 

Tommy glanced back down at his hand, grasping the air gently. It still moves, which was good because if he got a fucking defective hand, he'd be pissed. There was a little restraint in movement, but not enough to make Tommy feel anything other than defeat. Tommy blinked as the familiar noise of footsteps stopped for the first time in thirty minutes- an hour? Tommy lost track of time.

"So, Techno," Wilbur called from where he stood, glaring at a wall. "Any plans? Or are we fucking going to our death?"

"We're not going to die, Wilbur-," Philza tried to convince the brunet, but Phil only sighed as Wilbur's gaze found its way to him.

"Schlatt would've killed us already if he wanted us dead," Techno muttered, ripping his eyes away from Tommy's hand for a moment. Wilbur scoffed, running a thumb over his fist as he bit the inside of his cheek. Oh, his anger wasn't directed at Tommy; it's at Techno. Tommy felt only a little bit of guilt for feeling relief at that realization.

"Oh, so you know what Schlatt'll do? You knew he'd try to kill our ex-friends?" Wilbur asked, tilting his head. "Did you not care or?"

"What? Of course I didn't know-," Techno blinked in confusion, frowning. 

"Then how do you know he won't fucking kill us?" Wilbur shouted, cutting Techno off, who had pushed himself up. "He's fucking unpredictable, Techno. He threw Philza off a roof, but no! He won't kill us!"

"Why're you angry at me?" Techno grunted, running a hand through his hair as his tired eyes met Wilbur's. 

"Are you kidding?" Wilbur asked, looking a little taken back by the question. "You're our fucking leader, Techno. You're supposed to make the decisions that keep this group fucking safe, and we're literally walking into our death because of your stupid decisions."

Techno opened his mouth to speak but paused, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "I'm not the one who wanted to stay with Schlatt."

"Then why did you say yes?" Wilbur shouted, walking forward and prodding a finger into Techno's chest. 

"Because," Techno blinked, stepping back. Wilbur followed. "I- he paid a lot, and you guys seemed to like him, and his missions were fun-." Techno explained, his breathing picking up. Tommy mistook Techno's anger for a moment. He was wrong. He assumed Techno was angry at Wilbur, but the leader was more upset with himself. The finger jabbing his chest didn't help.

"Fun?" he shouted, clutching his fist to his chest. "Is this fun, Techno? Are we still having fun?"

"No," Techno yelled back. "Of course this isn't fucking fun, Wilbur; I'm trying, okay? I said yes because I didn't want to have to worry about money. Schlatt offered money, food, housing, and for what? Doing the same thing we had always do? I thought, hey, maybe my paranoia shouldn't ruin something great for once!-"

Techno had to have seen the punch coming. He could have easily countered it by tensing up, but instead, a loud slap filled the van. Wilbur face briefly shifted to one of surprise, not expecting the hit to land. His anger returned a second later, though. "Stop making excuses!" Wilbur demanded, stumbling back a step as Techno lifted his head back up. Did he think Techno was going to hit back? Would he? "This is your fault! Take fucking responsibility! You could have done more, protected us! You should've fucking- you're so useless. Tommy's got a fucking golden hand because you couldn't do anything to stop it- didn't even try. You can't even take responsibility." 

Tommy wasn't quite sure who Wilbur was upset at anymore; at first, he assumed it was Techno. But Wilbur's face crumbled for a moment. Wilbur seemed to be fighting with his emotions, trying to stay angry. It was a losing battle. Wilbur jumped as Philza grabbed his shoulder, and honestly, so did Tommy. He was too focused on the screaming match to notice Philza even stood up. 

"It's not Techno's fault," Philza said sternly, keeping Wilbur's attention on him. Wilbur didn't move- didn't blink. Phil's frown softened as he pulled the brunet into a tight hug. "It's not your fault either, okay?" Wilbur's stiffened for a moment, but Phil rubbed soothing circles in his back, and his shoulders sunk. "Okay?" he repeated.

"Okay," Wilbur muttered, burying his face in Philza's shoulder. Wilbur looked tired too. Philza gave Techno a weak smile; the king nodded in appreciation. 

"Let's go sit down, maybe you can get some sleep before we get there." Oh, right, the lab. The lump was back in his throat. Tommy glanced to his right, where Skeppy sat. The shapeshifter was looking up now, and Tommy's stare seemed to have caught his attention. Skeppy sighed and scooched over until he was next to Tommy. 

"They're fucking strong, Tubbo and Bad. They'll be fine," he muttered, taking Tommy's hand in his and squeezing it gently. Tommy squeezed back as best he could. "We'll be fine," Skeppy whispered. 

.

"Ooh," Schlatt's voice buzzed in their ear. They each had been given small earpieces and, despite their wishes, put them in. "You boys look like shit." Techno frowned, looking around in confusion. 

"Where-?" Schlatt cackled in their ear, making the five wince.

"I'm not fuckin' there. You're blowin' this place sky high- I'm not gonna sit around for it to go wrong and blow up on me. I'm safe in my office," Schlatt explained, a distant chair creaking, proving his statement.

"And you can see us?" Skeppy asked. There was a hum of affirmation.

"I've got eyes everywhere," Schlatt explained. "Anyway, enough chit chat. As I said, you boys are blowing this place sky high-."

"Are we?" Wilbur grunted, looking over to the familiar building with a frown. "I don't remember agreeing to that."

"Oh, you did," Schlatt chirped happily. "I mean, maybe you didn't. Maybe, I tell those guards to go through with Plan G- you know, for gun," Schlatt laughed loudly again. "I mean, I wasn't going to use Plan G unless you boys did something I didn't like, but if you aren't working for me then, well, why do I need you? But I don't need to worry about that, right, Wilbur?" 

"Right, Schlatt," Wilbur murmured. Schlatt made a noise of acknowledgment and clapped his hands together.

"Perfect! I wasn't ready to kill some of my best employees! I still have so much planned for after this mission," Schlatt cheered. "So, I'll give you a rundown of your mission, and then when you get back, we'll have a little chat. Capiche?"

"Capiche," Techno muttered, glancing to one of the many vans parked in front of the lab. There were a group of people aside from the ones in front of them pulling out boxes.

"I really had different plans for those explosives I had you boys retrieve, but hell, as long as I can blow some shit up," Schlatt trailed off. "I've got an amazing team that is going to be working with you boys- you're going to go in, clear the place, and place a bomb. It's not set to go off, don't worry. If there is anyone in the room, I want them gone."

"Gone," Skeppy repeated. Schlatt's smile was evident in his voice.

"Gone." Skeppy glanced at Tommy, who hadn't looked up from the ground. "Is everything clear?"

"Crystal," Philza murmured. Schlatt muttered something before a clatter and a loud gunshot was heard in their ears.

"Aw, fuck. Forgot to put that away," Schlatt hissed. Techno and Philza shared a confused look, and Techno grumbled something under his breath. A group of footsteps caught the five's attention, and they soon recognized that they were surrounded by guards, some of which carrying boxes of bombs. 

"Looks like you're ready! Oh, and remember boys," Schlatt voiced once more. "I'll be watching the whole time; one wrong move and- well- the bullets are sharper than normal, Techno." Schlatt imitated the noise of a gun. "Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Techno grunted, glaring over at the beeping red dot on one of the guards' outfits. Schlatt laughed at him. 

"Smart boy," Schlatt chirped. "Get goin'! I want this done by sunrise." What time even was it? No one really knew or cared. 

"On it, sir," one of the guards replied, holding the earpiece with their index finger; the five walked inside, an army of strangers behind them. 

The lab was sort of like an odd reunion; it was bittersweet. Techno didn't recognize much if he was honest. He only knew the basic layout of the lab, how to get out to be specific. Philza knew the most, then Wilbur, the two pointing out areas and whispering to each other. Tommy only knew a portion of the layout, having been there only a couple of weeks, but Skeppy knew nothing.

Despite knowing the most, there were still some rooms that Philza didn't recognize. Some looked like they hadn't been touched in years; others looked like they'd had been used recently. Yet, with each room they entered, they found no signs of life. They had entered a room- it had a small label on the door: Niki's room. It was a cute room; pictures and plants decorated the walls, floor, and desks.

"Check the room," the guard behind the five demanded as they had with each room prior. The five stumbled into the room, looking around with tired eyes. Tommy glanced to the right, spotting one of the hanging polaroids; he gently grabbed it, studying the photo. It had Tubbo, Bad, and the Dream Team, grinning widely with two other people sitting around a table. One of the strangers was a ginger in the middle. The ginger looked to be celebrating his birthday based on the cake and balloons. The other Tommy faintly recognized. It was a brunet with glasses and a simple lab coat. The seven looked happy- he hoped they were happy. 

There were more photos- all of them with bright, smiling faces. All of them featuring someone Tommy once knew. Tommy felt his breath catch in his throat as he walked around the room, staring at the photos, then back at the one he held in his hand. They looked like a family, they never really looked like that when they were with Tommy's group. They aren't your family, Tommy reminded himself. Tubbo never wants to see you again.

Tommy jolted at the hand on his shoulder, his grip on the small photo tightening as he spun on his heel. Techno glanced at the picture for only a moment but didn't mention it. "Tommy, we've got to go to the next room. We're almost done, okay? Just a few more." Had they already planted the bomb in here too? Tommy glanced at the small metallic box on the desk as he shoved the photo in his pocket. Yeah, they had. He nodded shakily and allowed his brother to pull him out of the room.

They had been at this for hours and hadn't found a single person. Looks like the Dream Team wasn't home. Tommy had his fingers crossed that they wouldn't. They had pretty much finished searching the whole building and placing bombs in every room, and now they were on their way out. Or, at least, they thought they were. In all honesty, the family wasn't filled in on anything. 

"Are we done?" Skeppy asked. He hadn't spoken much since the car ride, but at least he had spoken. He wasn't expecting an answer; they hadn't responded to any other questions asked. Still, the head-guard, who wouldn't tell them his name, glanced back at the five.

"Still have one more room," he muttered, gesturing to a room up ahead. "It's in the middle of the building; it's where we're putting the detonator bomb. We then have to vacate the premises." Skeppy blinked but slowly nodded. The group came to a halt as they reached the door. The room looked like a cozy break room; nothing special about it. Why would they put a break room in the middle of a lab facility? Skeppy dropped the question when they saw one of the guards shove the bomb in Tommy's hands. 

They usually were the ones to place the bombs, though. 

"Place it on the desk, click the red button to start it. Make sure you only click it once; twice will cause an automatic detonation. One of you go with the kid," the head-guard demanded, glancing at the other four. Skeppy noticed Tommy's hands shaking.

"I'll go," the four said in unison, surprising even Tommy. The guard scoffed and pointed at the door.

"All of you, then. Go," the head-guard grumbled. Techno went to grab the bomb from Tommy's hand, but a voice stopped him.

"Ah, ah," Schlatt buzzed in their ear. It was the first time he had talked since outside. "Let Tim-Tom do it. Maybe it'll wake him up a little!" Techno grumbled in response but backed off, instead choosing to rest the hand on Tommy's shoulder. Philza was on his other side, smiling softly at him. Tommy didn't understand how he was smiling. Still, he walked into the room slowly, four pairs of footsteps following him in support. Tommy set the bomb on the table then, with shaking fingers, clicked the red button. A bright red timer appeared, counting down from seven minutes and thirty seconds. 

Then, the doors closed. The five whipped around at the loud slam. Oh, the doors didn't close- metal just encased the room. That's why they put a break room in the middle of the facility- it was a panic room.

"Schlatt?" Philza asked, looking around in confusion. 

"Bye, boys. It's been a pleasure working with you." The comms released a loud beeping noise, causing the five to rip them out of their ears and toss them on the ground. Techno stomped on the small gadgets, and with a crunch, the noise stopped. It was quiet. The panic set in. They were trapped in a metal room with a bomb set to explode in seven minutes and ten seconds.

Tommy, surprisingly, was the first to react. He wordlessly pushed past his friends and sat in the corner of the room. They didn't acknowledge his movement- didn't notice Tommy. Tommy shakily pulled the photo out of his pocket and examined it once more. Tubbo was so happy without him. His eyes filled with tears.

Skeppy was at a loss for what to do. His ability did not help with this situation whatsoever; he was a shapeshifter, a bad one at that. He couldn't shapeshift unless he knew what the person looked like, and he didn't even get the person's strength or wisdom or anything. It was merely a disguise. Skeppy's eyes scanned the room, searching for something to do. 

Techno was shouting as he banged on the metal wall, cursing at Schlatt. No matter how much he hit the wall, the metal didn't budge. It didn't even dent. "Damn it! Let us out, Schlatt!" Techno wasn't going to last long- Skeppy could tell he was tired. He hadn't been able to rest or even regain his energy for the past couple of days. He couldn't help him, though. Techno was the strongest person Skeppy knew, and if he couldn't break through the wall, no one could.   
  
Philza was messing with the landline phone- why'd they even have one of those. It didn't matter; based on Philza's frown, it was useless. No one was coming to save them. The Dream Team hated them and weren't even in the building, and Schlatt wasn't going to change his mind. They were as good as dead. 

Skeppy felt slightly guilty. He wanted Bad here. Sure, Skeppy knew he was going to die, and he should be happy his friend was safe, but it felt wrong. It felt lonely. That realization only made him feel worse. After all, he was surrounded by family. Just not everyone, not Bad. He pushed the thought away. 

Wilbur was pacing around the room, trying to come up with some way out. His power didn't help in this situation either. It felt horrible being useless in this situation, but at least Wilbur was smart. He was good at plans; maybe he could come up with something. Skeppy wasn't good with planning like Wilbur and Phil and Techno were; he was good with people, which is why the crying boy in the corner of the room became his focus. 

Skeppy walked over, kneeling beside the blond, who had a small photo gripped in his hands. His breath caught at the miniature Bad grinning up at him. This wasn't about him though, he remembered. He came to cheer up Tommy. He glanced back at Tommy, who hadn't looked up from the picture as silent tears fell down his face. Skeppy hated when Tommy cried; everyone did. It was weird and felt unnatural for such a loud, happy kid to cry. He sighed and glanced back at the polaroid. 

"Tommy?" Skeppy called, and Tommy's head shot up with wide eyes. Understandably so, Skeppy was doing what he did best, pretending. He just hoped Tommy wouldn't react badly.

"Tubbo?" Tommy's voice cracked as he reached for Skeppy. Tubbo smiled at Tommy, nodding as Tommy's hand grabbed him tightly.

"Hey, Tommy," Skeppy, well, Tubbo laughed softly. 

"Tubbo, I'm so sorry," he sobbed, pulling Tubbo closer as he clung to him. Skeppy hugged Tommy tight as the boy sobbed into his shoulder, almost losing his balance. "I'm so sorry, Tubbo."

"I know, Tommy," he whispered, closing his eyes as a few tears slipped down his cheeks. "I know, I'm sorry too." For a moment, Skeppy tricked himself. For a moment, Bad was hugging him as though his life depended on it. Tommy let out a wet laugh beneath him. 

"I thought you'd never want to see me again," he admitted weakly, and his words made Skeppy falter. He would never actually see Bad again. Tommy would never get to see Tubbo again.

"I guess I'm just too clingy, huh?" he whispered, his voice wavering at the end as more tears spilled down his cheeks. Tommy snorted against his shoulder, but it devolved to a sob. Skeppy glanced over to the bomb, blinking through teary eyes. A little over five minutes left.

"Can I sit with you two?" a voice called, and Tommy raised his head for a second. Phil smiled at him, and of course, Tommy nodded. Phil took a seat and sighed, mouthing a small thanks to Skeppy, whose hand remained tightly grasped in Tommy's. "It's been a long day; you two can rest if you want." Tommy shook his head, leaning it against Tubbo's shoulder. Phil's smile wavered, but he nodded. "Okay, I'll stay up with you then. Wilbur, you wanna come join us?" 

Wilbur glanced over at the three, a sensation of defeat engulfing him as he stopped pacing. "Sure, Phil," he nodded. He glanced up at the camera, noticing the small red dot. "One second," Wilbur muttered, grabbing a broom that had leaned against the wall, then slamming it into the camera. Fuck Schlatt and his sadistic ass. If they were going to die, he wasn't going to see it. Wilbur tossed the broom aside before walking over to the four. "What is this, a family meeting?"

"Not quite," Philza hummed, glancing over at Techno. 

The leader was exhausted, anyone could tell. He had no energy; it was getting hard to simply move. Techno needed to keep going, though. His family would die if he didn't, but his hands ached, and his eyes stung. Techno was so frustrated. He stopped shouting a minute or two ago; his throat burned. He pulled his hand back to throw another punch at the door, but another hand stopped him. He blinked, glancing back with confusion. 

"Hey, Tech," Phil hummed, looking at Techno's busted, bloody fist with a frown. "Wanna come take a small break?"

"I almost got it," Techno muttered, looking back at the small dent he'd managed to make. Somewhere in his mind, he knew it was useless. Philza smiled and wiped his cheeks- Techno hadn't even noticed he'd cried. 

"You did," Philza agreed. "And you will, but why don't you get some energy back? Everyone's waiting for us." Techno looked reluctantly back at the door, and Philza squeezed his hand. "Please, Techno?"

"Okay," Techno muttered, glancing over at the team. Philza glimpsed at the clock, ignoring the way his throat tightened. He pulled Techno over to the group before he could check the bomb's timer and sat him down. Wilbur was humming something soft and soothing, but it couldn't cover up the consistent ticking of the bomb. Techno glanced nervously at the door, tired eyes lingering on the dent. It was useless; he had barely made a dent. But Philza still beamed encouragingly at him.

"You can try again in a few minutes," Philza assured- but Phil knew the truth.

There were less than three minutes left. 

"Techno?" Wilbur called. Techno lifted his head and stared at the brunet, who refused to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry," he swallowed, "for being an ass in the van. It's not your fault. I was just frustrated," he whispered, voice wavering. 

Techno felt a pit in his stomach. He wanted to protest; it was his fault. He got his team in this situation, and he's the reason his family was about to die. Techno did fuck up; he killed the only people that ever mattered to him. He opened his mouth to disagree, but a sniffle interrupted him. 

"I'm so sorry, Techno. I don't want to die with that being our last conversation, please, Techno," Wilbur sobbed, covering his mouth to muffle the noise. Techno wasn't good with people crying. 

"It's okay," he quickly assured. "I'm not upset, Wilbur." Wilbur nodded shakily, scrubbing at his eyes with his palm. "I'm sorry, too." Wilbur laughed weakly.

"Why? You didn't do anything wrong," Wilbur assured. Techno shook his head, glancing down at his red hands. 

"I just wish I did better," he whispered. As a leader, as a friend, as a brother, he just wanted to do more. Isn't it weird how much you regret in your final moments? How much you wish you could change- could do? How much time was left? Could he start being better now? Techno tried to look, but a wing blocked his vision.

"I'll keep track of the time, don't worry," Philza whispered, glancing back. His smile sank for a second. "It's pretty chilly in here; can we huddle closer?" 

It wasn't cold in the room, not even a little. Nevertheless, the five scooched close enough that the five were shoulder to shoulder. Philza managed to wrap his wings around the group. 

"You know," Phil sighed. "I think you're all the best family I've ever had. Techno, you're so fucking brave and strong. You do so much for this group. I wish I could take some of the stress off of your shoulders, but you're damn stubborn too. I wish I could've done more for you." Philza smiled at the king, then glanced to Skeppy.

"Skeppy, you're hilarious and kind. You're always there to cheer everyone up. You've been with us a fucking year, but you've managed to worm your way into the family. I wish we could've chatted more, hung out more? Fuck, I don't know. I just wish there was more time," Philza stared at the ground for a moment.

"Wilbur, you're so fucking talented. You're a cocky, funny asshole, and I am so proud of you. You're strong in your beliefs and you're so damn honest, and I hope you never lose that. I wish-," Philza stopped himself, blinking away tears. He didn't need to cry right now, just a little more time. Then, he could cry all he wanted. "I wish you had more chances in life because you have so much potential."

"Tommy," the blond met Philza's eyes. "God damn it, Tommy. Why'd you have to get caught by the lab and involved in this? Why couldn't people fucking see you? You're such a good kid, an asshole who needs to learn a few manners, but you're so good. You're so funny and strong, and God damn it, I am so fucking lucky to have known you. I wish-," Philza paused, smiling. He wishes Tommy could live past fifteen. "I wish so much for you."

"That was fucking sappy," Techno pointed out, harshly rubbing his teary eyes. Tommy had begun to cry again.

"Damn it, Phil," Skeppy- Tubbo hissed as he squeezed Tommy's hand a little tighter, voice shaking as he cried. Phil smiled weakly. 

"This fucking sucks," Wilbur choked out. Philza peeked behind him and nodded.

"Yeah, it does. You know, you're all supposed to be asleep right now," Philza pointed out. "I- you boys should close your eyes. Try to get some rest. You can lean on me."

"Phil, I-," Techno tried, but Philza shook his head, giving the boy a soft, forced smile. 

"You can tell me later. Please, just close your eyes," Phil stressed. "Please, it'll be okay. I've got you. Just sleep." The four did as requested, wrapping their arms around each other and holding themselves just a little closer- just a little tighter. Wilbur had begun to hum again in an attempt to drown out the beeping. Phil took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. "I love you guys so much."

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Be- the noise stopped. The blast never came.

Philza was the first to lift his head; the others remained with their heads down, as Philza requested. "Oh, holy shit," Philza breathed. Wilbur's humming stopped, and Phil reluctantly dropped his wings. 

"It worked! Stop shouting, you muffinhead." Skeppy's head jolted up, his disguise dropping the second his eyes met Bad's. "Skeppy!" 

"Bad?" Skeppy asked, voice scratchy from crying. Skeppy pushed himself up, his legs wobbling as he walked over to his friend. "Are you real?" Skeppy, as far as he knew, was the only one who could be anyone else. He wanted to be sure though. Maybe he was hallucinating, maybe he was dead. 

Bad tilted his head at the question, frowning slightly. "Of course I'm here, silly." Skeppy hesitantly reached out, still uncertain of the reality of the situation. He glanced back at the four on the ground in an attempt to see if they see Bad too. To make sure they were even still there. They were. His attention was drawn back to the warm hand touching his. "I'm here, Skeppy," Bad muttered. 

Skeppy blinked as tears filled his vision and nodded quickly. "Okay," he agreed, because even if Bad wasn't there, he wanted to believe he was. He pulled the boy into a hug, burying his face in the other's shoulder. "Okay." Bad returned the embrace, rubbing small circles into Skeppy's back. 

The metal gate on the wall slowly lifted, and behind it stood Tubbo and the ginger from Tommy's photo. The hallways were dark, but the two were clearly illuminated by the room's light. Tommy blinked, rubbing his tired, burning eyes as he stared at Tubbo. Their eyes met. Tubbo ran over to Tommy, slowing to a stop beside him. 

"Hey," Tubbo whispered, slowly crouching to his level. Tommy glanced to Philza, who stared blankly at the ground, and frowned then to Wilbur, who watched the two with an expectant, worried gaze. He looked back to Tubbo.

"Hey," he whispered back like it was a secret. Tubbo bit his lip, glancing down at his hands, which he rested on his knees. His eyes flooded with tears, and he looked back at Tommy with furrowed brows. 

"You almost died again," Tubbo pointed out, and Tommy slowly nodded, looking away from his teary friend. He didn't want to cry again.

"Yeah," he agreed in a low voice. What else could he say to that? He could apologize, maybe that'd make Tubbo feel better? He had so much to apologize for. "Sorry, Tubbo." 

It didn't make Tubbo feel better. The brunet shoved Tommy, lip wobbling as he stared at his best friend. "You almost died, Tommy!" Tubbo repeated, louder this time, and Tommy nodded again.

"I know," he murmured. Tubbo felt a hot tear run down his cheek as he shoved Tommy again. The blond didn't fight back; he didn't even look up.

"You're so reckless and selfish, Tommy," Tubbo scolded, tears now flowing as he jabbed a finger into Tommy's chest. "And you're mean, and you don't think, and you don't listen, and you make bad decisions, and -." Tommy nodded along to each of Tubbo's criticisms, wincing at the finger prodding his chest. Tommy looked up. His tired eyes meet Tubbo's teary eyes once more. "And- and I hate you."

"Tubbo," Wilbur muttered, but Tommy shook his head, only looking away from Tubbo for a moment. 

"I-."

"Stop saying I know!" Tubbo demanded, grabbing his friend by the shoulders. Tommy nodded weakly.

"I'm sorry, Tubbo." Tubbo stared at Tommy for a second before burying his face into his hands as he cried. Tommy grabbed the boy and hugged him close. "I'm sorry."

"I missed you," Tubbo sniffled, hugging his friend back. "I missed you."

"You hate me," Tommy muttered. Tubbo shook his head, holding onto Tommy tightly.

"No, I don't," Tubbo denied. "You're my brother, Tommy. I'd never hate you, no matter what." Tommy's eyes were burning again, tears pooling at the edges.

"Yeah?" he mumbled, resting his head on Tubbo's shoulder. 

"Yeah," Tubbo nodded. "You're okay?"

"I'm okay," Tommy assured. He peeked his head up at the sound of footsteps, spotting a group of five hurrying down the hall. Techno shifted from the group, standing up in a defensive stance as the figures got closer. 

"Whoa," a familiar voice hummed. "Calm down, Techno," Dream called as he got closer, watching Techno's shoulders drop. "Niki and Eret took care of those guys in the van, and we come in peace, so chill," Dream explained, gesturing to the other two in the group of five. 

"Sorry," Techno grunted, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Instinct." The man wearily walked over, approaching the five. He examined the girl, Niki, and the brunet, Eret, before sighing and holding out a bloodied hand. "Thank you."

Eret looked at the hand for a moment, then shook it with a small smile. "No problem. Any friend of Dream is a friend of ours." Niki stared at him with worried eyes.

"Are you and your friends okay?" Niki asked, glancing behind Techno with a frown. Techno followed her gaze, his breath catching at the sight. 

"Phil?" he murmured in confusion, watching Wilbur rock the blond in his arms as he hugged him. Tommy and Skeppy seemed to notice Philza's distress as well, pulling away from their friends and hurrying to Phil's side. 

"What's wrong?" Techno asked as he knelt next to the other four. Wilbur was humming softly in Philza's ear.

"It's okay, Phil," Tommy whispered, patting Phil's back as he sobbed. "We're okay. We're all here." Tommy looked around at his friends with a worried frown. Philza didn't cry- he was always the strong one.

"Phil, we're alive!" Skeppy consoled. "We can talk more like you wanted, and you get to see Wilbur get famous, and- and please don't cry, Phil. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," Philza managed to choke out. "I wanted to be strong, but I'm not doing a very good job right now, huh?" Techno rolled his eyes with a huff, resting his head on Philza's back. 

"You're the strongest person here, Phil. And I'll fight anyone who disagrees," Techno muttered, smiling as Philza chuckled. 

"You did a great job," Wilbur added, and Philza choked back a sob.

"I was so scared," he admitted. "I thought I fucking lost you all; it hurts so much."

"Sometimes, the only way to stop the pain is to cry," Wilbur whispered, rocking the blond gently. 

"We're here, big man," Tommy whispered; the nickname only made Philza cry harder. 

It was silent in the room for a few minutes, neither party making any noise or movement as Phil sobs devolved into sniffles, then silence. Eventually, however, Tubbo crept over, peaking over Tommy's shoulder at Philza. "Is he okay?" he muttered, and Philza snorted from where he had his head resting.

"I'm okay, Tubbo," Phil hummed as he tilted his head to look at the boy; his eyes were red. He reached over and ruffled the brunet's hair. "Thank you for helping us," Phil smiled. 

"No problem, Phil, but I can't take all the credit," Tubbo explained, scratching the back of his neck. "A lot of it was Fundy and Bad- and Dream, Sapnap, and George handled retrieving the thermals, and Niki and Eret took care of the guards."

"Sounds like a lot of trouble to go through," Wilbur hummed.

"It was worth it," Dream shrugged as he walked over, the other six following him. Philza smiled up at the group, nodding thankfully.

"I'm glad you're all okay," Niki interjected. 

"I don't think we've officially met," Philza hummed as he picked himself up, offering a hand to Wilbur. Tommy shoved off of Techno to stand, who jabbed him in the leg on his way up. "I'm Phil," Phil greeted, shaking Niki's, Fundy's, and Eret's hand. "That's Wilbur, Techno, Skeppy, and Tommy."

"Very nice to finally meet you guys," Eret greeted.

"We've heard so much about you all!" Niki smiled. Tommy blinked and fished the photo he had taken out of his pocket.

"Here, I stole this from you," Tommy explained, handing it to Niki. She looked at it curiously before looking back to Tommy.

"Oh! Thank you, but you can keep it if you want. I've got a bunch," she offered, holding it back out to him. "As long as I can look at it every now and again. Is that okay with you?" Tommy stared at the photo before grinning at Niki.

"Thanks," he chirped. "This is a fuckin' upgrade from my last gift," Tommy explained, holding up his new hand. 

"Holy shit, how did I not notice that?" Tubbo gaped, grabbing his hand with wide eyes.

"What happened?" Bad asked, peeking over Skeppy's shoulder.

"Shithead motherfucking Schlatt stupid asshole, he's a bitch," Tommy rambled, kicking at the ground. Tommy looked back up, noticing Techno was once again gazing at the gold. His face didn't reflect it, but Tommy could see the regret in his eyes. He blinked then looked back at his hand.

"Does it hurt?" Tubbo asked softly, and Tommy shook his head.

"Nope. Not anymore, so don't worry about it," Tommy hummed. "I like it."

"You do?" George asked, and Tommy grinned, nodding. 

"It's fuckin' cool-."

"Language," Bad interrupted; it seemed like a less serious time to interject. Tommy didn't acknowledge him. 

"Right, Tubbo?" Tommy asked, looking to his best friend, who grinned.

"Really cool," he agreed, letting go of the cool metal. Tommy blinked as he glanced over to Techno, who still had a frown on his face. 

"And I can do this," Tommy explained, running over to his brother. "I'm gonna fuck yo shit up, bitch!" Tommy slapped Techno, laughing in alarm when Techno's head jerked to the side. "Oh, shit."

"Tommy!" Philza hissed. 

"I didn't think he'd just let me slap him!" Tommy shouted back in defense. 

"Second time today," Techno grumbled.

"What did you expect?" Fundy asked, tilting his head. Tommy looked back at the ginger and shrugged. 

"Him to do his absorby shit, or to drop me- why'd you take the hit?" Tommy asked, watching Techno rub his cheek with a wince. Techno noticed Tommy's concerned stare and sighed. 

"Because," he grumbled. Because he deserved it; because that's the second injury Tommy's had because of Techno. Techno knew Tommy didn't want to hear that, though. And Techno didn't want to dampen the kid's good mood. "I need to see how hard you hit, for future missions and sparing."

"You're not going back on missions," Dream announced from behind the two. Techno looked to the hooded man with a frown. 

"Dream, we need money. I know you don't like it, but it's how we survive-."

"That's what just happened? With the bombs and everything? Survival?" Dream asked, and Techno shook his head. 

"We're not going to work for Schlatt-."

"Damn right, you aren't. Techno, it doesn't matter what you do," Dream stressed. "Any job you take is dangerous and illegal! That's why people hire others to do it!"

"What do you expect us to do?" Techno argued back. "We don't even have a place to sleep- no source of money or anything. Are we supposed to survive Schlatt just to die of starvation later?"

"No," Dream sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're supposed to stay with us." Techno opened his mouth to retort but paused.

"What?"

"We were gonna talk about it and later, more formally and shit, but I guess now's as good a time as any. Stick with us," Dream repeated. "We probably won't be the richest, best roommates, but at least you'd be with people who aren't going to kill you."

"Debatable," Sapnap voiced, laughing as George shoved him.

"You want us to live with you?" Techno asked once more for clarification, glancing at Tommy, who seemed just as surprised. 

"Tommy and Tubbo can get homeschooled by Niki or Eret," Dream explained, "And we can work together and help with the bills and stuff. You know, we'll just do-."

"Family stuff," Phil hummed, and Dream glanced back at the man, nodding.

"Family stuff," he agreed, grinning at Philza. He turned back to Techno. "It sucks that you felt cornered into crime just to live, but you don't have to be," he offered. "You can always stick with us."

Techno blinked, looking across his friends' faces. He's received this offer before; it didn't end well. "I-" he glanced at Wilbur. He didn't want to be the one to make the decisions. Wilbur seemed to catch on to his hesitation and sighed.

"Techno," he hummed. "You're our leader; whatever you choose, we'll back up, right?"

"Sure," Philza agreed. Skeppy nodded enthusiastically, and Tommy gave him a thumbs up. Techno directed his attention back to Dream and his team behind him, all of them watching Techno expectantly. 

"There's nothing wrong with Phil, but Tommy's loud, like, he never shuts up."

"What the fuck?"

"-And Skeppy's always doing stupid pranks."

"That's true," Skeppy accepted.

"Wilbur will give his opinion, even if you didn't ask."

"Not my fault everyone's too much of a pussy to tell the truth," Wilbur muttered. 

"-and Tommy likes to take your stuff."

"Why'd I get two?" Tommy whined, smacking Techno's arm.

"And I like to fight. Do you really want to live with us?" Techno asked, but Dream just grinned.

"Well, George is a neat freak and doesn't have a sleep schedule."

"That's fair."

"-and Sapnap is the messiest person you'll ever meet."

"Fuck you, it's my shit. I get to choose where I want it," Sapnap scoffed.

"Bad's gotten better, but he scolds you a fuck ton."

"Language-."

"Tubbo won't stop talking if you get him on a topic he likes-," Dream continued. 

"-and I like challenges. Fundy's- well, Fundy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fundy cried. 

"Eret's pretty chill, but he will take bribery for secrets and shit."

"Fair."

"And Niki's too nice," Dream supplied, shrugging. 

"Thank you?" Niki asked. 

"Why'd she get a nice one?" Sapnap muttered.

"We can try to put up with you if you try to put up with us," Dream offered. It only took a single glance at his team for Techno to know the group's verdict. 

"Okay."

Dream tilted his head. "Okay?"

"Okay. Tommy and Skeppy would complain and annoy the hell out of me if I didn't say yes, Philza would like to not have to cook for once, and Wilbur'll throw a fit if he has to sleep outside. Besides, I'm too tired to object," Techno explained, rubbing his eyes for emphasis. "Plus, Phil's a sucker for family stuff." Philza laughed behind him but nodded in agreement.

"I am."

"So, if you're willing," Techno scratched his neck. "We'd like to stick with you." Dream laughed and walked forward, patting the other on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the family."

"Did we ever leave?" Techno asked with mild amusement.

Dream blinked before shaking his head with a wide grin. "Nope."

"Can we fucking sleep now?" Wilbur interjected.

.

Techno blinked, looking into the dark room that held Tubbo and Tommy, the latter snoring loudly. 

"They passed out quick." Techno spun around in alarm, relaxing when his eyes met green ones. 

"Yeah," he muttered. "Thanks again, Dream."

"No problem, why are you still awake?" Dream asked, closing the door to let the boys sleep. 

"Lookout," he shrugged. "What if Schlatt retaliates? Sends more people?"

"We've got alarms for that shit," Dream explained. "Fundy programmed them; that's how we knew you guys were coming."

"Ah," Techno nodded, watching Dream sink down on the wall to sit down, patting the spot next to him. Techno sat down. "How'd you get us out, by the way?" 

"It's a long story," Dream murmured. 

"I've got time."

"Okay. Well," Dream began.

\--

"Holy shit," Sapnap gasped, leaning against the metal of the helicopter. "Holy shit, holy fuck, you guys came in clutch."

"Are you all okay?" Niki asked, looking around at the pale faces of her friends. Eret walked over to her, offering a hand, which she took after a moment of realization. Eret's skin slowly shifted from one of metal back to one of flesh.

"We're okay," Tubbo muttered, glancing out the helicopter towards the direction of his ex-friend. Bad seemed to be doing the same thing, but he was much more lost in thought.

"At least it's over, and everyone made it out alive, right?" Fundy chirped from the front, but Dream shook his head.

"No," he murmured, walking over and grabbing Fundy's computer. "They're not done. Schlatt isn't just going to let us go; we're traitors," Dream quoted, opening the device and passing it to Tubbo, who looked up with confusion. "Can you hack into the cameras?" 

"It was surprisingly difficult," Fundy voiced from the front. "But I figured out the pin, so you should have a little more ease," Fundy explained, and Tubbo nodded.

"What's the code?" Tubbo asked a few minutes later. His voice was still shaky, causing Dream to frown as he took a seat next to the kid. 

"6-1-13-9-12-25," Fundy recited, glancing back for a moment. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah," Tubbo murmured, typing a few more things into the laptop. 

"Fundy, we've gotta stop at the hotel to get my dogs," Sapnap quickly reminded. Fundy groaned but complied, turning the helicopter slightly.

"And our stuff," George added. Sapnap scoffed, looking at the brunet. 

"I think my dogs are more important than your stuff. Oh, shit, nobody fed them-."

"We had snacks and shit in the room," Dream reminded. "I'm sure they were smart enough to get food if needed." Sapnap visibly reacted, and Dream's attention was drawn back to the tap on his arm.

"Got it," Tubbo muttered, pointing at the screen. "Why're they on the roof?"

"Don't know," Dream frowned, staring at his ex-friends surrounded by guns. "Can you get the sound?"

Tubbo turned up the volume. "Usually, surveillance cameras don't have sound, but I think Schlatt's a little bonkers." Dream wordlessly nodded, and the helicopter's chatter ceased as the audio filtered through.

"Who the fuck was that!" Schlatt shouted, causing the group to flinch at the noise. 

"You're mom-." Schlatt punched Wilbur, making the boy groan. Wilbur grunted something up at the businessman, but the audio didn't pick it up. Still, Schlatt didn't seem to like it, evident by the way he yanked Wilbur upwards.

"What's going on?" Sapnap asked as he walked over, George following behind as they stared at the footage. Dream shrugged, frowning at the off feeling in his chest. Eret and Niki watched along too, Niki gasping at each harsh treatment inflicted on the team. 

Dream had zoned out for a second if he was honest. He had gotten lost in his thoughts, thinking about the circumstances. By the time he zoned back in, Philza and Schlatt were gone from the screen, and the team looked terrified. Still, the audio had picked up what was not seen.

"Big drop, huh?" Holy shit. "Who the fuck was that?"

"Wait, what's happening with Phil?" Tubbo asked, looking to Dream worriedly. Dream didn't reply; he simply stared at the screen with a blank face.

"Uh, I've never met them before."

"Hm, so you're useless." Before anyone in the helicopter could register what happened, Tommy ripped free from one of the guards and disappeared from the screen.

"Did he-?" Sapnap trailed off as George elbowed him. He turned back to glare at the brunet, but the boy gestured to Tubbo, and Sapnap instead chose to shut up. Tubbo's fists were white from how hard he was gripping the laptop. 

"Oops," Schlatt chirped from off-screen, his voice barely picked up over the screams of the team on the roof. Tubbo muted the audio for a moment, looking up at Fundy. 

"We've gotta go back," he demanded, but the ginger shook his head.

"Tubbo, that'd be suicide," Fundy responded hesitantly.

"I don't care!" Tubbo shouted, shoving the laptop into Dream's lap as he stood up. "We just- Tommy's gonna die! They literally told us that Schlatt was- and we- this is our fault! We could've helped them," Tubbo stressed. 

"I should've listened to Skeppy," Bad whispered, curling in on himself. Tubbo glanced at the boy and nodded jerkily. "He was- is my best friend; I should've known he wasn't lying. He didn't even want to shoot me-" Bad sniffled, stressfully tugging at his hair.

"Tommy didn't talk- how'd we not know something was wrong? Tommy always talks! And he never even pointed a gun at me either," Tubbo rambled, pacing as his panicked eyes flickered around the helicopter. "We should've listened to them, now- Tommy and Phil-."

"Are okay," Dream sighed, cutting the boy off. He spun on his heel, looking at Dream with worried, teary eyes. "They're okay, Tubbo, see?" Dream asked, turning the laptop to face the distressed kid. It was hard to differentiate due to the grainy, black-and-white footage, but Tubbo could spot the boy standing behind Phil with new wings. He audibly sighed in relief.

"But how long are they okay for?" Tubbo asked, biting at his nail nervously. "I mean, Schlatt had no problem throwing them off a roof! We need to help them-," Tubbo froze as he stared at the screen. Techno was barely on screen, Schlatt was still off-screen, and Tommy had a gun pointed at him. Dream frowned and spun the screen around to look at what was happening. 

"Oh, shit," Dream muttered, quickly pressing the unmute button. 

"Fine. Schlatt, I am sorry that I didn't kill you."

"Hm, either you're bad at this- or you just want your friends dead. Here," Schlatt hummed. Tommy was pushed forward until he, too, was out of frame.

"Listen! I'm a generous man-." Tommy cried out in pain, and Tubbo felt his heart drop. Tubbo slapped his hands over his ears, shaking his head as he felt hot tears spring to his eyes. Dream had muted the video again at Tubbo's reaction. He felt warmth engulf him and peeked an eye open. He hadn't even known he closed them. 

"It's okay, Tubbo," Niki whispered. "He'll be okay. We'll save him and Skeppy, and all of your friends, okay?" Niki offered. 

"Really?" Tubbo whispered, noticing that the helicopter had stopped moving. 

"Really. Remember how I told you I've always wanted to meet your friends?" Niki recalled. 

"Family-," Tubbo corrected quietly.

"Your family," Niki agreed. "Well, I still want to, okay?" Tubbo nodded, glancing back to the laptop at a familiar voice.

"What?" Philza's angry voice filled the helicopter. 

"I'm glad you asked. Well, I think we need to get rid of a lab," Schlatt's voice echoed off of the walls.

"How's he gonna do that?" George murmured, and Sapnap shrugged.

"Bombs. He's got a bunch of them," Dream muttered. "Alright," he stood, tossing the laptop aside. "Here's the deal, you two go get the dogs and our stuff," he ordered to Sapnap and George, who agreed without argument, rushing out of the helicopter. "And the rest of you come here. We need a plan."

"They're gonna blow up the lab," Fundy murmured. "They can't do that- that's our home!"

"They can, but they won't," Dream corrected. "We're not going to let them, alright?" He looked over to Tubbo and Bad, smiling reassuringly at them. "And we're also going to get our friends back, okay?"

"How?" Bad asked weakly. 

"That's what I've gotta figure out."

.

"Team A, did you grab your essentials, just in case?" Dream asked through his earpiece. 

"Sure did, boss man," Sapnap teased. A bark could be heard through the mic. 

"Yep," George confirmed.

"Team B?" 

"We're all good, Dream," Niki chirped, Eret humming in the back.

"Team C?"

"I can't move all of my things-."

"I said essentials, Fundy," Dream huffed. Fundy made a noise of annoyance but sighed.

"Yes, I got everything."

"Me too," Tubbo mumbled. 

"Bad?"

"My essential isn't here yet," Bad muttered. 

"We'll get him, Bad. They'll be here soon, so we need to get hiding, get to the basement. We need to be nearby to stop them, but someplace they wouldn't know about."

There were various murmurs of agreement, and sure enough, not even ten minutes after they gathered in the basement, Fundy's laptop buzzed.

"They're here," Fundy called. Sapnap jumped up, but Dream shook his head. 

"We'll watch, for now, okay? Fundy, pull up the cameras." Fundy did as directed, and once again, they gathered around the small screen. 

"Damn, they look spent," Sapnap commented. Tubbo frowned, and George elbowed him again. They sat for a while, watching the five surrounded by guards talking to no one. Sadly, the lab didn't have surveillance cameras with audio, so they were stuck in silence. 

It took a while for anything to happen. "Tommy likes your pictures, Niki," Fundy pointed out at one point. Niki hummed in acknowledgment, nodding and softly smiling when Tommy pocketed the one he had been gazing at. "Did he just steal it-?"

"He can have it," Niki hummed. 

"Where are they going now?" Sapnap asked, tilting his head.

"They've been to every room," Bad muttered. "They're probably leaving- shouldn't we intervene?" Dream shook his head.

"No, they missed a room," Dream pointed out. 

"What room?" Eret asked, frowning as he tried to recall. 

"They missed the main break room; I'm guessing they're gonna do that on the way out?"

"So far, they've only been putting out thermals. They're probably putting the trigger bomb in that room since it's located in the middle of the building," Tubbo offered for an explanation. Dream nodded, watching Techno reach for the bomb they handed to Tommy but stop. 

The five walked into the room, but a moment later, the entrance was encased in metal. "What happened?" Bad asked in alarm. 

"Oh fuck," Eret gasped. "The security system- Schlatt fucking set off the security system. They're stuck in there." Fundy ripped the laptop from Dream's hands, quickly typing at it. 

"How much time was on the bomb?" he asked, typing quickly as the others shot up around him. 

"Seven minutes and thirty seconds, I guess it's to give the guards enough time to escape," Eret supplied, but Dream shook his head.

"They're not getting away. Team A, we're going to go retrieve the thermals. Team B, go deal with the vans. Team C, can you get them out of there?" Dream asked. Niki, Eret, George, Sapnap, and his dogs had already run out of the basement.

"I- I can try?" Fundy offered. Tubbo made a noise of panic, and Fundy glanced at the two nervous teammates. "It's a process, but I'll try." 

"Please try your best, Fundy- and hurry," Dream called as he ran out of the room to join his team. 

Tubbo nervously dug through his things, pulling his laptop out and opening the cameras for the room. He then spun on his heel, approaching the exit only to be stopped by Bad.

"Where're you going?" he asked weakly, the panic evident in his voice as he glanced from Tubbo to Fundy. 

"I'm going to stick with my best friend," Tubbo huffed, ignoring Fundy's noise of protest. 

"That's where the bomb is. The metal may stop them from getting out, but it's not blast-proof, Tubbo-" Fundy tried to reason, but Tubbo shook his head.

"Then they better not blow up," he said boldly despite the way his hands shook. "Are you coming with, Bad?" 

"Yeah," Bad nodded, following closely behind Tubbo as he exited the basement. Fundy let out a loud groan as he pushed himself up and followed the two. 

Tubbo took a seat outside the door, looking once again at the footage. Skeppy had shifted into him, which left a pit in his chest for some reason, but he didn't mind. He examined the bomb more closely, blinking as he tried to focus his knowledge on it. Even if he figured out how to diffuse the bomb, there was no way of telling them. The walls seemed to be soundproof based on the fact that they couldn't hear Techno's banging.

Tubbo blinked in surprise as Wilbur knocked out the camera. Now he really had no idea what was going on. "Fundy, how long?" Tubbo asked nervously, dread building in his stomach. Bad was holding his hand, squeezing it tightly as he leaned against him, watching the black screen. 

"Five minutes?" Fundy offered, but that was too long.

"Can you do it in three?" 

"I- maybe? It'll be close," Fundy warned, and Tubbo whined in frustration. 

"Okay, Bad. We'll start Plan B; can you go find scissors? Fast?" Bad nodded quickly, and soon enough, black engulfed him. Tubbo turned off the lights in the hallways, despite Fundy's noise of distaste, and Bad was gone. 

"What's your plan?" Fundy asked, not looking up from the glowing screen as Tubbo paced. 

"I- If I'm right, then all they need to do is cut the middle wire on the back of the bomb. It should be white. Bad can do that if he gets in through the vents. The vents are too tight for anyone but him to go through- since he can become a shadow."

"And if you aren't right?" Fundy asked, only glancing up for a second.

"Then-," Tubbo trailed off, leaning his head against the door. "Then I better be right." Bad reappeared, a pair of pliers in his hand. 

"These were all I could find," he said quickly, and Tubbo nodded.

"No, that's fine- that's perfect," Tubbo agreed. "I- okay. Can you get in the vents? I'll lead you from there with the comms," Tubbo explained, and Bad, once again, agreed wholeheartedly. 

It took a moment, but soon, Bad muttered a small "okay" to indicate he was in the vents. Tubbo quickly pulled up the layout of the lab and began directing Bad on where to go. By the time Bad had finally claimed he found the room, Tubbo was positive there was less than a minute left. 

"Okay, listen. On the back of the bomb should be five wires. Is the third one white? If so, cut it. If not, cut the second wire." The beeping could be heard over Bad's comms when he whispered a quiet okay. Tubbo held his breath as he waited for the explosion- for something to go wrong- but it didn't come. Either his timing was off, or they actually managed to do something.

"Bad? Bad!"

"It worked! Stop shouting, you muffinhead." Tubbo breathed out a relieved sigh, looking back to Fundy, who looked just as relieved. 

"How long until you can get the door open?"

"Give me just a minute," Fundy requested, typing quickly into his laptop. Tubbo nodded, pushing himself up and resting a hand on the wall. 

"Almost there, Tommy."

.

Dream groaned as he collapsed on the ground, Sapnap and George doing the same beside him. "That was an unholy amount of fucking bombs," Sapnap complained. George and Dream snorted in agreement. 

"Thermals," George corrected. Sapnap hit him. 

"We should really check on Niki and Eret," Dream pointed out, but Sapnap shook his head. 

"They're probably fine, and no explosions have gone off, so I'm sure everyone else is too. Let's just sleep."

"You always want to sleep," George pointed out. Sapnap shrugged, grinning at George.

"Only with you," he cooed, shouting in alarm as George kicked him in the leg. "Fuck you too."

"Come on," Dream demanded, pushing himself up and pressing his earpiece. "Niki, Eret, location?"

"Right behind you," Eret called, and Niki giggled. Dream spun around, waving at the two as George and Sapnap scrambled to their feet. "Thanks for checking on us, Sapnap."

"No problem," Sapnap grinned. "Did you take care of the guards?"

"Sure," Eret grinned. "They probably won't be back for a while. And if they are, we'll deal with them again," Eret threatened, glancing at Niki, who smiled sweetly. 

"Did you kill them?" George asked in alarm. Niki frowned.

"Do I look like I kill people?"

"Mm," Dream hummed, beginning to walk inside. "It's possible, but it's also more likely that you'd just befriend them," he clarified. Niki nodded at that.

"That's fair. Did Tubbo, Fundy, and Bad get their friends out?" Niki asked, tilting her head to the side. Dream tapped his ear.

"Team C, all clear?" he asked, but there was no response. The five shared a concerned stare before they all hurried off in the direction of their friends. Their worry only increased at the dimmed hallways. 

"Did something else go wrong?" Niki asked. "I could've sworn we got all of the guards!"

"I don't know," Dream muttered as he walked down the hall. He froze at the beginning, looking down at the only room with light coming from it. He sighed in relief, his quick pace slowing as he approached, noticing Techno's defensive position. "Whoa," Dream hummed. "Calm down, Techno." 

Luckily, his friend seemed to be more tired than murderous. Techno's shoulders dropped, and he sighed. 

"Sorry, instinct."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT TOOK A WHILE MY BAD LOL
> 
> Im back,, hope u liked the chapter :) 
> 
> happy chapter pog!
> 
> I experienced covid, and lost my taste and smell, but I'm back and healthy!! It wasnt too bad for me, so dw :)
> 
> Take this chapter please, I apologize for the wait, I am oh so lazy and need to be beaten with a stick
> 
> anyway  
> Thank you all for reading!! I love you all, Stay safe, and have an amazing morning/afternoon/evening/night!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back kids. Did ya miss me? No?? Thanks, love u too.
> 
> It's all planned out. It's all ready, and I am oh so excited!! New faces, new characters!! Here we goooo!
> 
> I hope you liked the first chapter though!! I enjoyed writing it!! Anyways, gotta wrap this up!! Partying hard tomorrow ((I'm lying I'm oh so lonely but I'm too ready to post this to keep talking about nothing whoops.))
> 
> Thank you for reading! Stay safe, I love you all, and have an amazing morning/afternoon/evening/night!!


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